Indication device

Abstract

To provide a display device that can improve visibility. [Solution] The display device 1 in this embodiment comprises a first display unit 30 that emits display light relating to a virtual image, a case 10 that houses the first display unit 30, a reflective member 50 with one end 51 fixed to the case 10 and having a reflective surface 55 that reflects the display light toward the viewer, and an enclosure member 60 fixed to the case 10 and having a transmissive surface 61 that transmits the display light that reflects the reflective member 50, and surrounding the reflective surface 55.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] ,

[0007] , , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device mounted on a two-wheeled vehicle or the like.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a display device that projects display light onto a reflection member such as a combiner and allows a virtual image to be visually recognized in front of the reflection member is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A vehicle vibrates considerably during travel. Also, the vibration is transmitted to the reflection member. Then, the image reflected by the reflection member also vibrates, and the visibility of the image deteriorates. Further, since the reflection surface of the reflection member is always exposed, there is also a risk that the display light cannot be appropriately reflected due to the adhesion of dust, water droplets, or the like.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a display device capable of improving visibility.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems, the display device of the present disclosure includes a first display unit that emits display light related to a virtual image, a case that houses the first display unit, a reflection member having a reflection surface with one end fixed to the case and reflecting the display light toward a viewer, and an enclosure member that is fixed to the case, has a transmission surface that transmits the display light reflected by the reflection member, and surrounds the reflection surface.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] The display device of this disclosure can improve visibility. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] An external perspective view of a display device, which is an embodiment of the display device described herein. [Figure 2] An external view of the display device, shown from the rear. [Figure 3] Exploded perspective view of the display device. [Figure 4] A longitudinal cross-sectional view of the display device. [Figure 5] A schematic diagram illustrating how display light is reflected by a reflective material. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram illustrating how display light is reflected when the reflective material is made of smoked material. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram illustrating how display light is reflected when the reflective member has a wedge-shaped cross-section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the display device of this disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The display device of this disclosure can be mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles, as well as on ships, agricultural machinery, and construction machinery. In particular, the display device of this disclosure can be suitably mounted on motorcycles and the like where environmental resistance (waterproofing, vibration damping, etc.) is required.

[0010] Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a display device 1, which is an embodiment of the display device according to this disclosure. Figure 2 is an external view of the display device 1, taken from the rear. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the display device 1. Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the display device 1.

[0011] In the following explanation, "front," "back," "up," "down," "right," and "left" follow the definitions "Fr.", "Re.", "To.", "Bo.", "R," and "L" in Figures 1 to 4. The side of the display device 1 that is visible to the viewer is defined as "front."

[0012] The display device 1 is installed on the instrument panel so that it can be seen by, for example, the driver of a motorcycle. As shown in Figure 4, the display device 1 is a so-called head-up display that displays the information shown by the upper display unit 30 as a virtual image on a reflective member 50 for the viewer to see. The display device 1 mainly consists of a case 10, a lower display unit 20 (second display unit), an upper display unit 30 (first display unit), a control board 40, a reflective member 50, and an enclosure member 60.

[0013] Case 10 is a box-shaped member that mainly forms the rear side 1a, left and right side 1b, and bottom side 1c of the display device 1, and together with the reflective member 50 and the enclosure member 60, forms a closed space. In other words, the display device 1 is enclosed by the case 10, the reflective member 50, and the enclosure member 60. Case 10 is made of a resin such as black AES. Case 10 houses and supports the upper display unit 30 and the lower display unit 20.

[0014] The lower display unit 20 displays information necessary for driving, such as vehicle speed and engine RPM, for the viewer to see. The lower display unit 20 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display element and a light source substrate. The liquid crystal display element is, for example, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display panel formed by encapsulating liquid crystal molecules between a pair of glass substrates. The light source substrate is, for example, a substrate on which LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that illuminate the liquid crystal display element are mounted, and is the backlight for the liquid crystal display element.

[0015] The upper display unit 30, like the lower display unit 20, displays information necessary for driving, such as warnings and symbols indicating the direction of turns, for the viewer to see. The upper display unit 30 has a light source substrate 31, a middle case 33, and a character plate 34.

[0016] The light source substrate 31 mounts one or more light sources 32 such as LEDs provided according to the displayed image. The light source 32 may be a single-color or multi-color light source, or may be a light source with variable color tone by a combination of RGB light sources.

[0017] The middle case 33 is made of resin such as white polycarbonate, etc., and holds the light source substrate 31 and the front plate 34 in the case 10. The middle case 33 partitions each of the plurality of light sources 32, efficiently guides the light emitted from the light source 32 to a predetermined region of the front plate 34, and prevents light leakage to the outside.

[0018] The front plate 34 is a light-transmissive sheet member made of, for example, polycarbonate. The front plate 34 has a light-shielding layer formed, for example, by printing and punched out in a predetermined design shape for each partition. The front plate 34 transmits the light from the light source 32 toward the reflecting member 50 in a predetermined design shape.

[0019] The control board 40 is connected to the lower display unit 20 and the upper display unit 30 by, for example, a flexible printed board, and mainly has a control unit for controlling the lower display unit 20 and the upper display unit 30. The control board 40 has a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The control unit acquires, for example, the vehicle speed, engine speed, various vehicle information, etc. from the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Based on the acquired information, the control unit causes the lower display unit 20 and the upper display unit 30 to display information.

[0020] The reflective member 50 is made of a transparent resin such as PMMA and reflects the display light related to the virtual image, which is light emitted from the dial 34, toward the viewer. The reflective member 50 has one end 51 of its lower long side fixed to the upper rear side 11 of the case 10, for example, by adhesive. Specifically, the reflective member 50 is tilted at a required angle such that the display light is reflected in the direction assumed to be the viewer's viewpoint, and is fixed to the case 10. Although the reflective member 50 is shown as an integrally molded product with the enclosure member 60 in Figures 3 and 4, it may be a separate part connected by adhesive or the like.

[0021] The reflective member 50 has a certain thickness and therefore has an inner surface 55 (reflective surface) on the side closer to the display light and an outer surface 56 on the other side. As will be described later, since the inner surface 55 of the reflective member 50 is surrounded by the enclosure member 60, condensation may occur depending on the surrounding environment. If condensation occurs, water droplets may cause a deterioration in reflection. For this reason, it is preferable to provide an anti-fogging layer on the inner surface 55 by applying a surfactant or the like.

[0022] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, for example, the display light L may be reflected not only on the inner surface 55 but also on the outer surface 56, potentially forming two images V1 and V2 at different display positions as a double image. To prevent this, the reflective member 50 may be a material that reduces transmittance, such as a smoked material. By reducing the transmittance of the inner surface 55, as shown in Figure 6, the amount of light that reaches and is reflected by the outer surface 56 is reduced, and as a result, even if a double image is formed, the visibility of the image V2 formed by the light reflected by the outer surface 56 can be reduced.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, for example, the reflective member 50 may have a wedge-shaped cross-section with a thickness that gradually decreases from top to bottom, so that the light reflected from the inner surface 55 and the outer surface 56 is reflected to a common point where the viewer's viewpoint is assumed to be located. As a result, the image V2 formed by the reflected light from the outer surface 56 can be displayed with reduced vertical displacement from the image V1 formed by the inner surface 55.

[0024] The enclosure member 60 is made of a transparent resin such as transparent PMMA. As shown in Figure 3, the enclosure member 60 is fixed to the case 10 by means of adhesive, for example, to the lower edge 12, left and right edges 13 when viewed from the front, and the left and right edges 14 when viewed from above, and together with the case 10, it forms the outer casing of the display device 1. The enclosure member 60 has a transparent surface 61, a cover surface 65, and a connecting surface 68.

[0025] The transparent surface 61 and the cover surface 65 are made of a single flat plate. That is, the transparent surface 61 is the region that lies on the same plane as the cover surface 65 and is located above the cover surface 65. In other words, the transparent surface 61 is the region above the flat plate, and the cover surface 65 is the region below the flat plate. The transparent surface 61 transmits the display light reflected by the reflective member 50.

[0026] The cover surface 65 allows the information displayed by the lower display unit 20 to be visible and protects the lower display unit 20 from the intrusion of dust, water droplets, etc. The cover surface 65 has a shielding layer 66 (Figure 1), for example, by printing, to separate the display area of ​​the lower display unit 20.

[0027] The connecting surface 68 connects the reflective member 50 and the transmissive surface 61, and together with the transmissive surface 61, covers the inner surface 55 (reflective surface) of the reflective member 50. The connecting surface 68 has an upper surface 69 and a pair of left and right surfaces 71. The upper surface 69 connects the upper edge 62 of the transmissive surface 61 to the other end 52 opposite to the end 51 of the reflective member 50 that is fixed to the case 10. The pair of left and right surfaces 71 connect the left and right edges 63 of the transmissive surface 61 and the left and right edges 57 of the reflective member 50, respectively. Each left and right surface 71 is connected to the left and right edges 14 of the case 10. As a result, the inner surface 55 of the reflective member 50 is enclosed on all four sides except the downward direction, which is the direction of emission of display light from the upper display unit 30, and is placed in a closed space.

[0028] In this type of display device 1, the inner surface 55, which is a reflective surface that reflects display light, is surrounded by an enclosure member 60. Therefore, even when the display device 1 is used in an environment where it is exposed to the outdoors, the reflective surface does not become dirty, and as a result, it can reflect display light effectively and display an image with excellent visibility.

[0029] Furthermore, the reflective member 50 is surrounded by the enclosure member 60, and at the same time, its periphery is supported by the enclosure member 60, improving its mechanical strength. As a result, vibration resistance against shaking during driving can be improved, and deterioration of the image formed by the display light reflected by the reflective member 50 due to vibration can be reduced. For example, compared to a combiner fixed at only one end 51, the section modulus is larger, improving resistance to bending, i.e., mechanical strength, and thus improving vibration resistance.

[0030] Furthermore, when displaying information on the lower display unit 20 along with the information displayed on the upper display unit 30, the number of parts can be reduced by using a single flat plate component to serve as both the transparent surface 61 and the cover surface 65.

[0031] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0032] For example, in the display device 1, an example was described in which the transparent surface 61 and the cover surface 65 are made up of a single component, but they may be separate, independent components. Although an example was described in which the connecting surface 68 has an upper surface 69, the upper edge 62 of the transparent surface 61 and the other end 52 of the reflective member 50 may be directly connected. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1 Display device 1a Posterior side 1b Left and right sides 1c Bottom side 10 cases 11 Back side 12 Bottom edge 13 Left and right sides 14 Left and right sides 20 Lower display unit (second display unit) 30 Upper display unit (first display unit) 31 Light source substrate 32 light source 33 medium cases 34 Dial 40 Control board 50 Reflective material 51 one end 52 Other end 55 Inner surface (reflective surface) 56 External surface 57 Left and right sides 60 Enclosure components 61 Transparent surface 62 Top 63 Left and right sides 65 Cover surface 66 Shielding layer 68 Connecting surface 69 Top 71 Left and right sides L display light V1, V2 statue

Claims

1. A first display unit that emits display light related to a virtual image, A case for housing the first display unit, A reflective member having a reflective surface that is fixed at one end to the case and reflects the display light toward the viewer, A display device comprising: a case fixed to the aforementioned case, having a transparent surface that transmits the display light that reflects the reflective member, and an enclosure member surrounding the reflective surface.

2. The case further comprises a second display unit housed within the aforementioned case, which displays information intended to be viewed by the viewer, The display device according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure member has a cover surface that allows the information to be viewed and protects the second display unit.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the transparent surface is on the same plane as the cover surface and is located above the cover surface.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective surface has an anti-fogging layer.

5. A display device according to claim 1, which is mounted on a motorcycle.

Images