Image display apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image display device for a vehicle which prevents intrusion of water or the like.SOLUTION: The HUD2 is mounted in the vehicle 1 and displays an image as a virtual image to an occupant. An HUD2 includes an image generation unit 24 that emits light for generating an image, a housing 22 that houses the image generation unit 24 therein and has an opening 23 through which the light passes, and a sheet member 30 that covers the opening 23. The sheet member 30 integrally includes a main body portion 31 that transmits light and a standing wall portion 32 that is provided on at least a part of the outer periphery of the main body portion 31 and extends upward from the main body portion 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image display device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a head-up display (HUD) as an example of an image display device. The HUD projects light that forms an image generated by an image generation unit onto a windshield using an optical system, and the light is reflected by the windshield to superimpose the image as a virtual image onto the real space in front of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-025797 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The housing of an HUD has an opening that allows light from the image generation unit to pass through. This allows water to seep into the housing through the opening. To prevent this, a sheet material is sometimes placed to cover the opening. However, if water adhering to the top surface of the sheet material spills off the sheet material, water can seep into the opening through the gap between the sheet material and the housing, leaving room for improvement in water infiltration prevention measures.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an image display device for a vehicle that prevents the intrusion of water or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An image display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: An image display device that is mounted on a vehicle and displays an image as a virtual image to a passenger, an image generating unit that emits light for generating the image; a housing that houses the image generating unit therein and has an opening through which the light passes; a sheet member covering the opening, The sheet member is a main body portion that transmits the light; The main body has an upright wall portion integrally formed therewith, the upright wall portion being provided on at least a portion of the outer periphery of the main body portion and extending upward from the main body portion.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, even if water accumulates on the upper surface of the main body, the upright wall portion can easily prevent the water from spilling from the upper surface of the main body, thereby preventing water adhering to the upper surface of the main body from seeping into the housing through the gap between the sheet member and the housing and down the opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an image display device for a vehicle that prevents intrusion of water or the like is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a HUD according to a first embodiment provided in a vehicle, as viewed from the side of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a sheet member of the HUD. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet member as seen from the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 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.

[0011] 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 left-right direction includes lateral directions. The "up-down direction" refers to a direction including an "upward direction U" and a "downward direction D." The up-down direction is also the vertical direction. 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 coincides with the front-rear direction in the vehicle 1. Here, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is defined as the forward direction. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the left-right direction is a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. The left-right direction is also the width direction of the vehicle 1. The HUD 2 is an example of an image display device.

[0012] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a HUD 2 according to a first embodiment provided in a vehicle 1, viewed from the side of the vehicle 1. The HUD 2 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and configured to project a virtual image onto the 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.

[0013] 1, the HUD 2 includes a HUD main body 20. The HUD main body 20 has a housing 22 and an opening 23. Inside the housing 22, the HUD main body 20 has a picture generation unit (PGU) 24, a plane mirror 26, and a concave mirror 28.

[0014] The image generating unit 24 is accommodated in an internal space formed by the housing 22. The opening 23 is an opening that allows light emitted from the image generating unit 24 to pass through. In this embodiment, the opening 23 is provided in the upper part of the housing 22 and has a rectangular shape that extends in the left-right direction. The opening 23 is covered by a sheet member 30, which will be described later.

[0015] Image generation unit 24 is configured to emit light for generating an image as a virtual image. Image generation unit 24 has, for example, a light source, a lens, and an exit surface 241. Light is emitted from the light source and guided to exit surface 241 by the lens. Exit surface 241 is configured to emit the light into housing 22 as light for generating an image as a virtual image.

[0016] The concave mirror 28 is disposed on the optical path of the light emitted from the image generator 24 and reflected by the plane mirror 26. Specifically, the concave mirror 28 is disposed in front of the image generator 24 and the plane mirror 26 within the HUD main body 20. The concave mirror 28 is configured to reflect the light emitted by the image generator 24 toward the windshield WS through the opening 23. The concave mirror 28 has a reflective surface that is curved in a concave shape, and reflects the image of the light emitted from the image generator 24 and formed at a predetermined magnification.

[0017] 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 generation unit 24 is incident on the concave mirror 28 without being reflected by the plane mirror 26.

[0018] Light emitted upward from the opening 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 occupant's viewpoint E. As a result, the occupant perceives 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 occupant to visually perceive the virtual image object I as floating above the road outside the vehicle.

[0019] Next, the sheet member 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the sheet member 30. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet member 30 as viewed from the side. As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the sheet member 30 integrally includes a main body portion 31 and a standing wall portion 32. For example, the main body portion 31 and the standing wall portion 32 may be integrally formed from a resin member that transmits light.

[0020] The main body 31 is configured to cover the opening 23 of the HUD main body 20 (FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the main body 31 has a rectangular shape extending in the left-right direction when viewed from above. The main body 31 is made of a material that transmits light. The main body 31 is configured to transmit light emitted from the image generation unit 24.

[0021] In a top view, the main body 31 is larger than the opening 23. The main body 31 is supported by a portion of the housing 22 that borders the opening 23.

[0022] The standing wall portion 32 is provided on at least a part of the outer periphery of the main body portion 31. In this embodiment, the standing wall portion 32 is formed so as to extend upward from the outer periphery of the main body portion 31. The standing wall portion 32 extending upward also extends in the left-right direction. In other words, in a side view, the standing wall portion 32 extends upward from the outer periphery extending in the left-right direction of the main body portion 31 (FIGS. 1 and 3). In this embodiment, the "upward" extension of the standing wall portion 32 includes not only the upward vertical direction but also the direction in which light emitted from the image generation unit 24 passes through the opening 23.

[0023] Next, the water infiltration suppression effect of the standing wall portion 32 will be described. The HUD 2 is installed in the dashboard DB of the vehicle 1, and an opening 23 is formed in the housing 22 of the HUD 2 to allow light from the image generation unit 24 to pass through. In the HUD 2 arranged in this manner, for example, if water spills from a container placed on the dashboard DB, there is a possibility that the water will enter the housing 22 through the opening 23.

[0024] To prevent such water intrusion, a sheet member 30Z (not shown) according to a comparative example, which has only the main body portion 31, is sometimes arranged to cover the opening 23. However, with the sheet member 30Z made up of only the main body portion 31, if water adhering to the upper surface of the main body portion 31 spills off the sheet member 30Z, there is a possibility that the water will infiltrate into the opening 23 through the gap between the sheet member 30Z and the housing 22, leaving room for improvement in water intrusion prevention measures.

[0025] According to the sheet member 30 of this embodiment, the standing wall portion 32 is formed to extend upward from the main body portion 31. Therefore, even if water accumulates on the upper surface of the main body portion 31, the upwardly extending standing wall portion 32 makes it easy to prevent the water from spilling over the upper surface of the main body portion 31. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water adhering to the upper surface of the main body portion 31 from entering the inside of the housing 22 through the gap between the sheet member 30 and the housing 22 and down the opening 23.

[0026] Furthermore, since the standing wall portion 32 extends upward, it is easier to make the entire sheet member 30 smaller than when the standing wall portion 32 extends in another direction.

[0027] The standing wall portion 32 has at least one of a front standing wall portion 32F provided in front of the main body portion 31 and a rear standing wall portion 32B provided behind the main body portion 31 (FIGS. 2 and 3). In this embodiment, the standing wall portion 32 has both the front standing wall portion 32F and the rear standing wall portion 32B.

[0028] The front standing wall portion 32F is formed to extend upward from a front outer periphery 31F, which extends in the left-right direction, among the outer peripheries of the main body portion 31. In other words, in a side view, the front standing wall portion 32F has a convex shape that extends upward from the front outer periphery 31F.

[0029] The rear standing wall portion 32B is formed to extend upward from a rear outer periphery 31B that extends in the left-right direction among the outer peripheries of the main body portion 31. In other words, in a side view, the rear standing wall portion 32B has a convex shape that extends upward from the rear outer periphery 31B.

[0030] The vehicle 1 equipped with the HUD 2 may stop or come to a halt on a slope, or may accelerate or decelerate. In such a situation, water accumulated on the upper surface of the main body 31 is likely to spill forward or backward from the main body 31. According to this embodiment, even if the water accumulated on the upper surface of the main body 31 is about to spill forward when the vehicle 1 stops or comes to a halt on a slope or when the vehicle 1 is accelerating or decelerating, the water is stopped by the front upright wall 32F at the front outer periphery 31F. Alternatively, even if the water accumulated on the upper surface of the main body 31 is about to spill backward, the water is stopped by the rear upright wall 32B at the rear outer periphery 31B. Therefore, water can be prevented from entering the housing 22.

[0031] The height Hf of the front upright wall portion 32F extending upward from the front outer periphery 31F of the main body portion 31 may be the same as or different from the height Hb of the rear upright wall portion 32B extending upward from the rear outer periphery 31B of the main body portion 31. For example, the height Hf of the front upright wall portion 32F may be higher than the height Hb of the rear upright wall portion 32B (FIG. 3). When the height Hf of the front upright wall portion 32F is high, even when the vehicle 1 is stopped or parked leaning forward on a slope or when the vehicle 1 is decelerating, water accumulated on the upper surface of the main body portion 31 is blocked by the front upright wall portion 32F even if it is about to spill forward. Therefore, water can be prevented from entering the housing 22.

[0032] The main body portion 31 of the sheet member 30 is curved downward (FIGS. 1 to 3). More specifically, the main body portion 31 is formed with a front outer periphery 31F, which is the front edge of the main body portion 31, a rear outer periphery 31B, which is the rear edge of the main body portion 31, and a central portion 31C, which is located between the front outer periphery 31F and the rear outer periphery 31B in the front-to-rear direction. The main body portion 31 is curved downward so that the front outer periphery 31F is located higher than the central portion 31C, and the rear outer periphery 31B is located higher than the central portion 31C. In this embodiment, the central portion 31C is the bottom of the downwardly curved main body portion 31, and is located at the lowest point of the main body portion 31 in a side view (FIG. 3).

[0033] Since the main body 31, which is made of a light-transmitting material, is curved downward, light is less likely to be reflected on the surface of the main body 31 and light is more easily transmitted than when the main body 31 has a flat shape.

[0034] Furthermore, because the main body 31 of the sheet member 30 is curved downward, even when the vehicle 1 stops or comes to a halt on a slope or when the vehicle 1 accelerates or decelerates, water that has accumulated on the upper surface of the main body 31 tends to remain in the center portion 31C, which is the bottom of the curved main body 31. Therefore, water spillage can be prevented.

[0035] The sheet member 30 may have drainage holes 33 at the bottom of the curved main body portion 31, at a position away from the opening 23 (FIG. 2). The drainage holes 33 are located on an imaginary straight line L1 on which the central portion 31C, which is the bottom of the main body portion 31, is located (FIG. 2). Furthermore, the drainage holes 33 are formed in a pair of flanges 34 extending in the left-right direction from the main body portion 31 that covers the opening 23. The sheet member 30 of this embodiment has two drainage holes 33, but the number of drainage holes 33 is not limited to two.

[0036] According to this embodiment, the sheet member 30 has the drainage holes 33, so that water accumulated on the upper surface of the main body portion 31 can be drained through the drainage holes 33.

[0037] The drain hole 33 may be engaged with a pin (not shown) formed on the top of the housing 22. Engaging the drain hole with the pin facilitates positioning of the sheet member 30 relative to the housing 22. Furthermore, by directing water that has accumulated on the top surface of the main body 31 from the pin engaged with the drain hole 33 along the outer surface of the housing 22, it becomes easier to prevent water from seeping into the housing 22.

[0038] The housing 22 of the HUD 2 has a claw portion 221 that engages with the upper portion 32U of the standing wall portion 32. The claw portion 221 is located at the upper portion of the housing 22 and has, for example, a lance structure. The claw portion 221 has, for example, an L-shape that extends upward from the opening 23 and bends inward at the upper portion of the opening 23. The claw portion 221 is configured so that the upper portion 32U of the standing wall portion 32 abuts against and engages with the inner circumferential surface of the L-shape.

[0039] As an example of installing the sheet member 30Z according to the comparative example, which does not have the standing wall portion 32, in the opening 23 of the housing 22, it is conceivable to attach tape to the outer periphery of the main body portion 31 of the sheet member 30Z and then attach the sheet member 30Z to the housing 22. However, this increases costs, such as the cost of the tape itself and the cost of attaching the tape, and the outer periphery of the main body portion 31 and the surface of the housing 22 do not always contact each other, making the attachment work cumbersome in some cases.

[0040] According to this embodiment, the housing 22 has the claw portions 221, which makes it easier to attach the sheet member 30 to the housing 22 without using tape. Furthermore, because the main body portion 31 of the sheet member 30 is curved downward, a reaction force from the curvature of the main body portion 31 acts, making it easier to more stably engage with the claw portions 221. This improves the attachability of the sheet member 30.

[0041] 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 disclosure described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the disclosure described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0042] The configurations described in each item listed below also constitute part of this disclosure. Item 1 An image display device that is mounted on a vehicle and displays an image as a virtual image to a passenger, an image generating unit that emits light for generating the image; a housing that houses the image generating unit therein and has an opening through which the light passes; a sheet member covering the opening, The sheet member is a main body portion that transmits the light; and a standing wall portion provided on at least a part of the outer periphery of the main body portion and extending upward from the main body portion. Item 2 Item 2. The image display device according to item 1, wherein the standing wall portion has at least one of a front standing wall portion provided in front of the main body portion and a rear standing wall portion provided in rear of the main body portion. Item 3 3. The image display device according to item 1 or 2, wherein the main body is curved downward. Item 4 Item 4. The image display device according to item 3, wherein the main body is curved downward so that the front and rear edges are positioned above the center in the front-to-rear direction. Item 5 Item 5. The image display device according to item 4, wherein the sheet member has a drainage hole at a position at the bottom of the curved main body portion that is away from the opening. Item 6 6. The image display device according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the housing has a claw portion that engages with an upper portion of the standing wall portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 vehicle 2 HUD (Head-Up Display) 20 HUD main body 22 Housing 23 Opening 24 Image generation unit 241 Exit surface 26 plane mirror 28 concave mirror 30, 30Z seat material 31 Main body 31F Front outer circumference 31B Back outer circumference 31C central part 32 Vertical wall 32F front standing wall 32B Rear standing wall section 32U top 33 Drain hole 34 flange 221 Claw L1 Virtual line

Claims

1. An image display device that is mounted on a vehicle and displays an image as a virtual image to a passenger, an image generating unit that emits light for generating the image; a housing that houses the image generating unit therein and has an opening through which the light passes; a sheet member covering the opening, The sheet member is a main body portion that transmits the light; and a standing wall portion provided on at least a part of the outer periphery of the main body portion and extending upward from the main body portion.

2. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the standing wall portion has at least one of a front standing wall portion provided in front of the main body portion and a rear standing wall portion provided in rear of the main body portion.

3. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the main body is curved downward.

4. The image display device according to claim 3 , wherein the main body is curved downward so that a front edge and a rear edge are positioned higher than a center portion in the front-rear direction.

5. The image display device according to claim 4 , wherein the sheet member has a drain hole at a position on the bottom of the curved main body portion that is away from the opening.

6. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing has a claw portion that engages with an upper portion of the upright wall portion.

Images