On-vehicle projector and vehicular interior trim

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle projector which can display projection images with a plurality of different patterns on a wide range of projection planes by switching them, and a vehicular interior trim comprising the on-vehicle projector.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle projector 1 is provided, which comprises a plurality of projectors 10 aligned linearly for projecting a projection image, where each of the plurality of projectors 10 includes a light source 12, a condenser lens 13, and a projection lens 16, where at least a part of the plurality of projectors 10 includes a pattern formation part 14 for forming patterns included in the projection image with a pattern number N of the projection image, and where an n-th (n is an arbitrary natural number) projector 10 from one end and an n+Nth projector 10 are used in the plurality of projectors 10 for projecting the projection image of the same pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle projector and an interior part for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an image display device that is installed in a vehicle cabin and projects and displays an image at a predetermined location (see Patent Document 1). According to the image display device described in Patent Document 1, an image based on image data captured by an on-board camera is projected onto a dashboard or the like by a projector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-248918 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been a need for in-vehicle projectors to be able to switch between different images on a wide projection surface depending on the situation, etc. When projecting an image using a single projector, as in the image display device described in Patent Document 1, the projection range is limited, making it difficult to meet the above-mentioned need.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle projector that can switch between a plurality of different pattern projection images and display them on a wide projection surface, and a vehicle interior accessory equipped with the in-vehicle projector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides the following in-vehicle projector and vehicle interior accessory.

[0007] [1] An in-vehicle projector comprising a plurality of projectors arranged in a line for projecting a projection image, each of the plurality of projectors including a light source, a condenser lens, and a projection lens, at least some of the plurality of projectors including a pattern forming unit for forming a pattern included in the projection image, the number of patterns of the projection image is N, and among the plurality of projectors, the nth projector (n is any natural number) from one end and the n+Nth projector are used to project the projection image of the same pattern. [2] The vehicle-mounted projector according to [1] above, wherein the pattern forming portion is an uneven surface on the back side of the condenser lens. [3] The vehicle-mounted projector according to [2] above, wherein the condenser lenses and the handle-forming portions of the plurality of projectors are included in a single lens. [4] The vehicle-mounted projector described in [1] above, wherein the pattern of the projected image includes a solid pattern, and the solid pattern is projected by one of the plurality of projectors that does not include the pattern forming portion. [5] The in-vehicle projector according to [1] above, having an operation mode in which the brightness of the projectors used to project the projection image of the same pattern among the plurality of projectors changes in sequence at different timings. [6] A vehicle interior part comprising the vehicle-mounted projector according to any one of [1] to [5] above, and an interior part having a projection surface onto which the projection image is projected. [7] The vehicle interior part according to [6] above, wherein the interior part is a door trim ornament skin. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle projector that can switch between projecting images of multiple different patterns onto a wide-area projection surface, and a vehicle interior accessory that includes the in-vehicle projector. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle projector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram showing the state when the light source of a projector including a pattern forming portion is turned on, and Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing the state when the light source of a projector not including a pattern forming portion is turned on. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a modified example of the vehicle-mounted projector according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the interior of a vehicle in which an in-vehicle projector is installed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of an in-vehicle projector attached inside a door trim. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle projector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle projector 1 includes a plurality of projectors 10 arranged in a line for projecting an image. The plurality of projectors 10 are typically arranged in a line, but may also be arranged in multiple lines.

[0011] The projected image projected by the vehicle-mounted projector 1 has multiple patterns (e.g., a pattern with a first pattern, a pattern with a second pattern, a plain pattern, etc.), and the pattern of the projected image displayed on the projection surface can be switched by switching the operating projector among the multiple projectors 10.

[0012] 1, the in-vehicle projector 1 includes four projectors 10a to 10d as the multiple projectors 10, but the number of projectors 10 included in the in-vehicle projector 1 is not particularly limited and can be set appropriately depending on, for example, the size of the projected image and the installation location of the in-vehicle projector 1. In other words, by appropriately adjusting the number of multiple projectors 10, it is possible to project an image onto an arbitrarily wide projection surface.

[0013] Each of the plurality of projectors 10 includes a light source 12, a condenser lens 13, and a projection lens 16, and at least some of the plurality of projectors 10 include a pattern forming section 14 for forming a pattern to be included in the projected image.

[0014] Of the multiple projectors 10, in projector 10 including pattern forming section 14, light emitted from light source 12 and collected by condensing lens 13 passes through pattern forming section 14 and is then projected onto an external projection surface by projection lens 16 to form a projected image. In projector 10 not including pattern forming section 14, light emitted from light source 12 and collected by condensing lens 13 is projected directly onto an external projection surface by projection lens 16 to form a projected image.

[0015] Of the plurality of projectors 10, the projector 10 including the pattern forming section 14 forms a projected image of a pattern including a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the pattern forming section 14. If the plurality of projectors 10 includes a projector 10 that does not include a pattern forming portion 14, the projector 10 that does not include a pattern forming portion 14 forms a projected image of a pattern that does not include a pattern, that is, a plain pattern.

[0016] Assuming that the number of patterns of the projection image is N (N is a natural number), among the multiple projectors 10 arranged in a line, the nth projector (n is any natural number) from one end and the (n+N)th projector from the other end are used to project the same pattern of projection image. Naturally, the upper limit of n+N is equal to the number of multiple projectors 10 arranged in a line. Furthermore, the number of projectors 10 used to project each of the multiple patterns of the projection image is two or more, and the total number of projectors 10 included in the in-vehicle projector 1 is preferably six or more, for example, to switch patterns and form moving patterns. This is because six is ​​the product of two, the minimum number used for switching patterns, and three, the minimum number used to show pattern movement.

[0017] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, each of the projectors 10a to 10d includes a light source 12, a condenser lens 13, and a projection lens 16, and the projectors 10a and 10c, which are part of the projectors 10a to 10d, include a pattern forming portion .

[0018] If the number of patterns of the projection image is two, then, of the linearly arranged projectors 10a to 10d, the first projector and the (1+2)th projector from the left end of FIG. 1, i.e., projectors 10a and 10c, are used to project the first pattern of the projection image, and the second projector and the (2+2)th projector from the left end of FIG. 1, i.e., projectors 10b and 10d, are used to project the second pattern of the projection image.

[0019] Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram showing the state when the light source 12 of projectors 10a and 10c, which include a pattern forming portion 14, is turned on, and Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing the state when the light source 12 of projectors 10b and 10d, which do not include a pattern forming portion 14, is turned on.

[0020] The patterns of the projection images projected by the projectors 10a and 10c that include the pattern forming portion 14 have patterns formed by the pattern forming portion 14 of the projectors 10a and 10c. On the other hand, the patterns of the projection images projected by the projectors 10b and 10d that do not include the pattern forming portion 14 are plain patterns that do not include patterns.

[0021] The light source 12 is a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) chip. The light emission color of the light source 12 is not particularly limited, and may be a light-emitting element capable of emitting multiple colors, such as a full-color LED chip. The light emission colors of the light sources 12 of the multiple projectors 10 may be the same or different.

[0022] In order to reduce the number of parts in the in-vehicle projector 1, it is preferable that the light sources 12 of the multiple projectors 10 are mounted on one printed circuit board 11 as shown in Fig. 1. Reducing the number of parts in the in-vehicle projector 1 has the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost of the in-vehicle projector 1, etc.

[0023] The condenser lens 13 is made of a material that is transparent to the visible light emitted from the light source 12, such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate (PC) resin.

[0024] 1 and 2, for example, the pattern forming portion 14 is an uneven surface provided on the back side of the condenser lens 13. In this case, as shown in Fig. 2(a), of the light emitted from the light source 12 and condensed by the condenser lens 13, light that is incident on the inclined surfaces that make up the unevenness (e.g., V-shaped grooves) of the pattern forming portion 14 is reflected and does not pass through the pattern forming portion 14, while light that is incident on the flat portion of the pattern forming portion 14 passes through the pattern forming portion 14 without being reflected. As a result, a pattern that corresponds to the pattern of the unevenness of the pattern forming portion 14 is formed in the projected image.

[0025] In this case, the unevenness of the pattern forming portion 14 is preferably formed as an inclined surface formed at an angle that totally reflects incident light.

[0026] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2(b), in projectors 10 that do not include a pattern-forming portion 14, such as projectors 10b and 10d, the back side of the condenser lens 13 is a flat surface 15 that does not have any irregularities, and the reflection of incident light is suppressed overall. As a result, a projected image that does not include a pattern is formed as a plain pattern.

[0027] In order to reduce the number of parts of the in-vehicle projector 1, it is preferable that the condenser lenses 13 and the pattern forming portions 14 of the multiple projectors 10 are included in one lens L1 as shown in FIG.

[0028] Like the condenser lens 13, the projection lens 16 is made of a material that is transparent to the visible light emitted from the light source 12, such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin.

[0029] Furthermore, in order to reduce the number of parts of the vehicle-mounted projector 1, it is preferable that the projection lenses 16 of the multiple projectors 10 are included in one lens L2 as shown in FIG.

[0030] The lenses L1 and L2 are plate-shaped or rod-shaped lenses, and can be easily manufactured by injection molding or the like.

[0031] The light sources 12 of the multiple projectors 10 are connected to a control unit that controls the light emission operation (on / off, brightness change, etc.) of the light sources 12, and emit light upon receiving a light emission instruction signal from the control unit.

[0032] The control unit is, for example, a microcomputer composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs calculations and processing on acquired data according to a stored program, and semiconductor memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). The ROM stores, for example, programs for operating the control unit. The RAM is used, for example, as a storage area for temporarily storing calculation results, etc.

[0033] The control unit may be included inside the in-vehicle projector 1, for example, on the printed circuit board 11, or may be included outside the in-vehicle projector 1, for example, in an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0034] The control unit can control the light emission operation of the light sources 12 of the multiple projectors 10 in response to, for example, instructions from the vehicle occupants via a switch or the like, or changes in the vehicle's operating state such as starting the drive unit or unlocking.

[0035] The multiple projectors 10 can operate in multiple operation modes under the control of the control unit.

[0036] For example, in an operating mode in which the brightness of multiple projectors 10 used to project the same pattern of projection image (e.g., projectors 10a and 10c, or projectors 10c and 10d in the example shown in Figure 1) changes simultaneously, the brightness changes uniformly (becomes brighter or darker) across the entire projection image.

[0037] In addition, in an operating mode in which the brightness of the projectors 10 used to project the same pattern of projection image changes in sequence at different times, for example, by changing the brightness of the projectors 10 arranged in a line in sequence from one end, both ends, the center, etc. along the line, the brightness of the projection image changes so that it flows in the width direction from one end, both ends, the center, etc. in the width direction.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a modified example of the in-vehicle projector 1. As shown in Fig. 3, a lens L3 including condenser lenses 13 of the multiple projectors 10 and a plate-shaped transparent member L4 having an uneven surface as a handle-forming portion 14 of the multiple projectors 10 may be used instead of the lens L1. In other words, the condenser lenses 13 and the handle-forming portion 14 may be independent components.

[0039] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the interior of a vehicle 9 equipped with the in-vehicle projector 1. The in-vehicle projector 1 can project an image onto the surfaces of interior parts such as door trim ornament skins 91 on the driver's seat 90a and passenger seat 90b sides, door trim ornament skins 93 on the rear seat 92 side, an instrument panel 94, and a ceiling 97, as projection surfaces.

[0040] In this case, the in-vehicle projector 1 can be used as indirect lighting that irradiates the surface of the interior part with light. In Fig. 4, an example of the position of the projection surface of the projected image of the in-vehicle projector 1 is shown shaded in gray.

[0041] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the in-vehicle projector 1 when the in-vehicle projector 1 is attached inside the door trim. Fig. 5 shows cross sections of a door trim ornament skin 91, an armrest 95, and a door trim upper 96 that constitute the door trim.

[0042] 5, the multiple projectors 10 in the in-vehicle projector 1 are arranged linearly in a direction along the surface of the door trim ornament skin 91. Note that, in the in-vehicle projector 1, the multiple projectors 10 are usually housed in a housing 17 as shown in FIG.

[0043] In the example shown in Figure 5, the in-vehicle projector 1 is placed between the door trim ornament skin 91 and the armrest 95 in a position that is not directly visible to the vehicle occupants, and the projection light emitted from the in-vehicle projector 1 passes through the gap between the door trim ornament skin 91 and the armrest 95 and is projected onto an area on the surface of the door trim ornament skin 91 that is directly visible to the vehicle occupants.

[0044] That is, in this case, the in-vehicle projector 1 is attached to the door trim, and the surface of the door trim ornament skin 91 included in the door trim becomes the projection surface onto which the in-vehicle projector 1 projects the image.

[0045] The in-vehicle projector 1 is usually installed such that a plurality of projectors 10 are lined up in a line in a direction substantially parallel to the projection surface of the projected image, as illustrated in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, when the surface of the door trim ornament skin 91 is used as the projection surface of the projected image, typically six or more projectors 10 are lined up in a line.

[0046] As described above, the projection surface onto which the image is projected by the in-vehicle projector 1 is provided on the surface of an interior part of the vehicle 9 on which the in-vehicle projector 1 is mounted. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to provide a vehicle interior accessory that includes the in-vehicle projector 1 and an interior part having a projection surface onto which the image is projected.

[0047] (Effects of the embodiment) According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle projector 1 that can switch between multiple different patterns of projected images on a wide-area projection surface, and a vehicle interior accessory equipped with the in-vehicle projector 1.

[0048] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiments can be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the above embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Car projector 10, 10a~10d Projector 11 Printed circuit board 12 light source 13 Condenser lens 14 Handle forming part 15 Flat surface 16 Projection lens L1~L3 lenses L4 transparent member 91 Door trim ornament skin 95 Armrest

Claims

1. a plurality of projectors arranged in a line for projecting a projection image; each of the plurality of projectors includes a light source, a condenser lens, and a projection lens; at least some of the plurality of projectors include a pattern forming unit for forming a pattern included in the projected image; The number of patterns in the projection image is N, Among the plurality of projectors, an n-th projector (n is any natural number) and an (n+N)-th projector from one end are used to project the projection image of the same pattern. Car projector.

2. The handle forming portion is an uneven surface on the back side of the condenser lens.

2. The vehicle-mounted projector according to claim 1.

3. the condenser lenses and the pattern forming portions of the plurality of projectors are included in one lens; 3. The vehicle-mounted projector according to claim 2.

4. the pattern of the projected image includes a solid pattern; the plain pattern is projected by one of the plurality of projectors that does not include the pattern forming portion; 2. The vehicle-mounted projector according to claim 1.

5. an operation mode in which the luminance of the projectors used to project the projection image of the same pattern among the plurality of projectors is changed in sequence at different timings; 2. The vehicle-mounted projector according to claim 1.

6. The vehicle-mounted projector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, an interior part having a projection surface onto which the projection image is projected; Equipped with Vehicle interior parts.

7. The interior part is a door trim ornament skin. The vehicle interior part according to claim 6.

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