HUD system and vehicle

Abstract

A HUD system and a vehicle, for use in improving the brightness of a virtual image viewed by a user. The HUD system comprises an image generation assembly, an optical deflection assembly, and a first reflection assembly, wherein the optical deflection assembly is arranged on an optical path between the image generation assembly and the first reflection assembly, the image generation assembly is used for generating an image, the optical deflection assembly is used for deflecting the propagation direction of light rays from the image generation assembly, and the first reflection assembly is used for reflecting the deflected light rays from the optical deflection assembly, so that reverse extension lines of the reflected light rays generate a virtual image at a first position outside a windshield. In the HUD system, the optical deflection assembly can deflect the direction of the light rays emitted from the image generation assembly, so that some light rays having higher luminous intensity can be controllably transmitted to the first reflection assembly, and then the light rays having higher luminous intensity are reflected to human eyes by the first reflection assembly, so as to ensure that a relatively bright virtual image can be viewed at the position of the human eyes, thereby providing a high-brightness cockpit display experience for the user.

Description

HUD system and vehicle

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 26, 2024, with application number 202410211600.6 and application name "A HUD System and Vehicle", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a HUD system and a vehicle. Background Art

[0004] With the continuous advancement of vehicle technology, people's demands for vehicle convenience and safety are becoming increasingly stringent. As a key subsystem within the vehicle's cockpit domain, the head-up display (HUD) system projects driving-related information (such as instrument clusters and navigation information) into the driver's field of view, allowing them to see this information without having to look down at the instrument panel or control screen below the steering wheel. This avoids the potential driving risks that can arise from looking down and losing sight of road conditions, thereby improving driving safety.

[0005] Refer to Figure 1a. To avoid occupying cabin space, HUD systems typically place the picture generation unit (PGU) below the driver's instrument panel (IP). Light from the PGU is reflected by a free-form mirror and the front windshield (also known as the windshield) to ensure that the user sees a virtual image. However, the visual experience of the virtual image depends on the height of the human body and the placement of the PGU below the IP. Current mainstream HUD systems struggle to ensure that the light entering the human eye is the brighter light from the PGU. Consequently, there's a high probability that the user won't see a bright virtual image, and existing HUD systems are unable to provide a high-brightness cabin display experience.

[0006] In summary, how to improve the brightness of virtual images viewed by users is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in the HUD field. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a HUD system and a vehicle for increasing the brightness of a virtual image viewed by a user.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a HUD system, comprising an image generating component, an optical deflection component, and a first reflecting component, wherein the optical deflection component is arranged on an optical path between the image generating component and the first reflecting component; the image generating component is configured to generate an image and transmit the light of the image to the optical deflection component; the optical deflection component is configured to deflect the propagation direction of the light from the image generating component and transmit the deflected light to the first reflecting component; the first reflecting component is configured to reflect the deflected light from the optical deflection component, wherein the reverse extension line of the reflected light forms a virtual image at a first position outside the windshield.

[0009] Through the above-mentioned HUD system, the direction of the light emitted by the image generating component can be deflected by the optical deflection component, so that the light with higher light intensity can be controllably transmitted to the first reflecting component, and then reflected by the first reflecting component to the human eye, so as to ensure that the human eye can see a relatively bright virtual image, providing the user with a high-brightness cockpit display experience.

[0010] In a possible design, the optical deflection component is specifically used to deflect the light within the angle range of the strongest light intensity generated by the image generating component to the first reflecting component.

[0011] Through the above design, although the light emitted in the normal direction of the light-emitting surface of the image generating component is the brightest light, the optical deflection component can deflect the brightest light and the light within a certain angle range nearby by a certain angle, so that the brightest light and the nearby stronger light can be controllably transmitted to the first reflection component, and then reflected to the human eye, to ensure that the human eye can see the virtual image formed by the brightest light and the nearby brighter light, and this virtual image can be considered as the brightest virtual image.

[0012] In one possible design, the image generating component and the optical deflection component can be placed below the IP in parallel with the IP.

[0013] Through this design, the image generation and optical deflection components occupy only a small area below the IP, effectively adapting to the relatively small space below the IP in existing vehicles and facilitating the widespread adoption and application of HUD systems. Furthermore, this positioning and orientation design reduces the volume occupied by the HUD system below the IP, freeing up space for other cockpit components and achieving a highly integrated and compact cockpit system.

[0014] In a possible design, the first reflective component is a windshield.

[0015] Through the above design, the windshield has a certain reflective effect on light. By using the windshield to reflect the transmitted light, there is no need to add other additional components, thereby reducing the structural complexity of the HUD system.

[0016] In another possible design, the first reflective component is disposed on the windshield.

[0017] This design allows the first reflective assembly to reflect light at a wider angle than a windshield. Therefore, light reaching the windshield can be reflected by the first reflective assembly to a wider area of ​​the cabin, allowing more users within the cabin to see the virtual image and ensuring full cabin visibility. Furthermore, the first reflective assembly exhibits less optical efficiency loss than a windshield, further increasing the brightness of light reaching the human eye and enhancing the brightness of the virtual image viewed by users.

[0018] In one example of the above design, at least a portion of the first reflective component is disposed in the blackened area of ​​the windshield. For example, the first reflective component can be disposed entirely in the blackened area of ​​the windshield, or in the blackened area and a portion of the area above the blackened area without obstructing the driver's field of view.

[0019] Through the above example, it can be ensured that the first reflective component does not block the driver's field of view, and at the same time, it can avoid external light (such as sunlight) from hitting the first reflective component and being reflected into the cabin space, which can improve the display contrast of the virtual image viewed by the human eye.

[0020] In one example of the above design, the first reflective component may include a reflective film, which may be attached to the inner surface of the windshield or sandwiched between the glass layers of the windshield.

[0021] In the above example, the reflective film can reflect light directed toward the windshield back into the cabin. Furthermore, the adhesive method simplifies and facilitates installation, while the sandwich method provides some protection for the reflective film within, extending its lifespan.

[0022] In a further possible example, the reflective film may be a total reflective film or a polarized reflective film.

[0023] Through the above examples, the appropriate type of reflective film can be selected according to product requirements. For example, if higher reflective ability is required, a fully reflective film can be selected; if low cost is required, a polarized reflective film can be selected. This allows the HUD system to be suitable for different application scenarios.

[0024] In one example of the above design, the HUD system may also include a second reflective component, which is arranged on the optical path between the optical deflection component and the first reflective component, and is used to receive the deflected light from the optical deflection component and reflect the deflected light to the first reflective component, or fold the optical path of the deflected light and then reflect it to the first reflective component.

[0025] Through the above example, the second reflective component can increase the optical path between the optical deflection component and the first reflective component, so that the virtual image is formed at a position farther away from the human eye, optimizing the visual experience of the human eye when viewing the virtual image and avoiding visual fatigue.

[0026] In a further possible example, the second reflective component may include a reflective mirror.

[0027] Through the above examples, the reflector can reflect light, and the placement of the reflector is relatively simple, which can simplify the complexity of the HUD system.

[0028] In a further possible example, the reflector may be a plane reflector or a curved reflector.

[0029] In the above example, the flat mirror's more regular reflection angle makes it easier to place it below the IP according to design requirements. It also takes up less space, thus facilitating the implementation of a compact HUD system. Curved mirrors, on the other hand, can be combined with the first reflective component to compensate for image distortion, improving the quality of the virtual image.

[0030] In a further possible example, the second reflective assembly may further include a polarizer and a phase retardation wave plate, wherein the polarizer is disposed on the optical path between the optical deflection assembly and the phase retardation wave plate, and the phase retardation wave plate is disposed on the optical path between the polarizer and the reflector. The polarizer is configured to transmit P-polarized light from the optical deflection assembly to the phase retardation wave plate, where the phase retardation wave plate converts the P-polarized light into circularly polarized light, which is then transmitted to the reflector. The reflector then reflects the circularly polarized light back to the phase retardation wave plate, where the phase retardation wave plate converts the reflected circularly polarized light into S-polarized light, which is then projected back to the polarizer, where the S-polarized light is reflected by the polarizer to the first reflective assembly.

[0031] Through the above example, the light from the optical deflection component will undergo multiple reflections and transmissions between the polarizer, the phase delay wave plate and the reflector before propagating to the first reflective component. This can further increase the optical path between the optical deflection component and the first reflective component, thereby achieving a longer virtual image distance.

[0032] In a further possible example, the phase delay wave plate may be a quarter wave plate.

[0033] Through the above example, the quarter-wave plate can cause the light to produce a phase delay of an odd multiple of π / 2, thereby realizing the conversion between linearly polarized light and circularly polarized light.

[0034] In a further possible example, the phase delay wave plate may be attached to the surface of the reflector, such as the reflective surface of the reflector.

[0035] Through the above examples, the use of the attachment method can make the components more compact and further reduce the size of the HUD system.

[0036] In a further possible example, the image generating component, the optical deflection component, and the second reflective component may be located at the same height area below the IP.

[0037] Through the above example, the image generation component, the optical deflection component, and the second reflective component can be located in the same height range, rather than being scattered at different heights. Even if the height of the space below the vehicle IP is limited, this placement method can successfully deploy these three components in the HUD system below the vehicle IP, thus realizing the promotion and application of the HUD system on vehicles. In addition, adopting this position and posture design can also make these three components close together in a relatively small area below the vehicle IP, which can reduce the volume occupied by the HUD system below the vehicle IP, so that more space can be reserved below the vehicle IP to set up other cockpit components, realizing a highly integrated and miniaturized design of the cockpit system.

[0038] In one possible design, the image generating component may include a display screen, which is used to generate at least one of the following images: a navigation image, an instrument image, a central control image, a co-pilot image, and a projection image.

[0039] Through the above design, the vehicle's navigation information, instrument information, central control information, co-pilot information and projection information can be uniformly displayed on the virtual image in front of the windshield through the display screen in the HUD system, realizing unified display of various screen information, one-screen compatibility or one-category compatibility, replacing various display screens on the IP in the original cockpit domain, redefining the display function in the cockpit domain, and making it more universal in the vehicle.

[0040] In a possible design, the optical deflection component may be attached to a surface of the image generating component, for example, may be attached to a light emitting surface of the image generating component.

[0041] Through the above design, the attachment method can make the components more compact and further reduce the size of the HUD system.

[0042] In one possible design, the optical deflection component may include a substrate layer and a micro-nanostructure disposed on a surface of the substrate layer.

[0043] The micro-nanostructures have a relatively large surface area, allowing them to be adsorbed onto the surface of image-generating components. Furthermore, they offer advantages such as size effects, quantum effects, and structural diversity.

[0044] In a second aspect, the present application provides a vehicle comprising a windshield and a HUD system as described in the first aspect or any one of the designs or examples of the first aspect, wherein the windshield is used to display an image corresponding to the virtual image.

[0045] In one possible design, the vehicle further includes an IP having a through hole therein, the through hole being used to allow light from the HUD system to pass through.

[0046] Through the above design, not only can the HUD system be shielded by the IP to maintain the beauty and simplicity of the cockpit, but the through holes on the IP can also allow light from the HUD system to propagate to the windshield.

[0047] The technical effects that can be achieved in the second aspect can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG1a exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of an existing HUD system;

[0049] FIG1b is a schematic diagram showing a field of view of a HUD system;

[0050] FIG2 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by the present application;

[0051] FIG3 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a conventional intelligent cockpit display solution;

[0052] FIG4 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a HUD system provided by Embodiment 1;

[0053] FIG5a exemplarily shows a presentation form of a virtual image provided by the present application;

[0054] FIG5 b exemplarily shows another virtual image presentation form provided by the present application;

[0055] FIG6 a exemplarily shows a schematic structural diagram of a micro-nano prism provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG6 b is a schematic diagram showing a comparison of the angular ranges of a light beam before and after deflection provided by the present application;

[0057] FIG7 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of deflection angles corresponding to first reflective components at different positions provided by the present application;

[0058] FIG8 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of another HUD system provided by Embodiment 1;

[0059] FIG9 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a configuration of a reflective film provided by the present application on a windshield;

[0060] FIG10 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a HUD system provided by Embodiment 2;

[0061] FIG11 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of another HUD system provided by Embodiment 2;

[0062] FIG12 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of another HUD system provided by the second embodiment;

[0063] FIG13 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a HUD system provided by Embodiment 3;

[0064] FIG14 exemplarily shows a transmission path diagram of an actual optical path provided by the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0066] The following is an explanation of some of the terms used in this application. It should be noted that these explanations are for the purpose of facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art and do not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0067] 1. Eyebox

[0068] The eyebox generally refers to the area within which the driver's eyes can see the entire displayed image, as shown in Figure 1a above. To accommodate differences in driver height, the typical eyebox size is 130mm x 50mm, meaning the driver's eyes have a range of approximately ±50mm vertically and ±130mm horizontally. If the driver's eyes are within this range, they can see a complete and clear image. If the driver's eyes are outside this range, they may experience image distortion, color errors, or even no image at all.

[0069] 2. Virtual Image Distance (VID)

[0070] The virtual image distance refers to the distance between the center of the eyebox and the center of the virtual image, as shown in Figure 1a above.

[0071] 3. Field of view (FOV)

[0072] The field of view (FOV) includes the horizontal field of view (H_FOV) and the vertical field of view (V_FOV). The horizontal FOV refers to the maximum visible range of the HUD system in the horizontal direction, while the vertical FOV refers to the maximum visible range in the vertical direction. (See Figure 1b.) The horizontal FOV, also known as the horizontal FOV, is positively correlated with the horizontal length of the virtual image. The longer the horizontal length of the virtual image, the larger the horizontal FOV. Similarly, the vertical FOV, also known as the vertical FOV, is positively correlated with the vertical width of the virtual image. The wider the vertical width of the virtual image, the larger the vertical FOV.

[0073] 4. Linear polarized light: including S polarized light and P polarized light.

[0074] When a light beam strikes a surface, such as a windshield, light waves whose polarization is perpendicular to the plane formed by the incident and reflected light are called S-polarized light, while light waves whose polarization is aligned with the plane are called P-polarized light. S-polarized light has an S polarization state, while P-polarized light has a P polarization state. S-polarized light can have a higher reflectivity than P-polarized light.

[0075] 5. Circularly polarized light.

[0076] The trajectory of the endpoints of the light vector of circularly polarized light forms a circle. This means that the light vector continuously rotates, its magnitude remains constant, but its direction changes regularly over time. Circularly polarized light includes left-handed polarized light and right-handed polarized light. When viewed facing the direction of the light, light with the electric vector rotating clockwise is called right-handed polarized light, while light with the electric vector rotating counterclockwise is called left-handed polarized light.

[0077] It should be noted that, ideally, the trajectory of the endpoints of the light vector of circularly polarized light is circular. However, in reality, the trajectory of the endpoints of the light vector of circularly polarized light is generally elliptical. When the ellipticity (or ellipticity angle) of elliptical circularly polarized light approaches 45 degrees, it can be roughly considered that the elliptical polarization light degenerates into circularly polarized light. The circularly polarized light beam mentioned in this application refers to elliptical polarization light with an ellipticity (or ellipticity angle) approaching 45 degrees.

[0078] The previous text introduced some of the terms involved in this application. The following text introduces the possible application scenarios of this application.

[0079] With the continuous development of intelligent vehicles, intelligent optical display devices such as HUD have gradually become core components in vehicles. It is expected that they will be widely used in various types of vehicles such as large, medium and small passenger cars, commercial vehicles and engineering vehicles in the future. For example, please refer to Figure 2, which illustrates a possible application scenario of the HUD system. The figure takes the application of the HUD system in a car as an example. During the driving process of the car, the HUD system can form an enlarged virtual image based on driving-related information and project it into the driver's front field of view through the car windshield, thereby presenting the driver with a virtual image of the road at a certain distance (for example, 2 to 20 meters). Among them, the HUD system can be a windshield head-up display (W-HUD) system or an augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD) system. The AR-HUD system can also integrate the formed virtual image with real road information to enhance the driver's perception of the actual driving environment. Specifically, it can be applied to scenarios such as AR navigation, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning. For example, an AR-HUD system can overlay a virtual HUD image carrying navigation information and / or instrument information (such as speed, mileage, RPM, temperature, fuel level, and headlight status) on the real environment outside the vehicle, allowing the driver to experience augmented reality. Furthermore, AR-HUD systems typically need to be integrated with the vehicle's advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) to provide the vehicle with precise positioning and detection capabilities, enabling the fusion of the virtual image corresponding to the navigation information with the real scene.

[0080] It should be understood that the possible application scenarios given above are only examples, and the HUD system provided in this application can also be applied to other possible scenarios, not limited to the scenarios exemplified above. For example, it can also be applied to other means of transportation, such as ships, airplanes, helicopters, trains, subways, and high-speed trains, to improve the safety of drivers. For another example, it can also be applied to aircraft, such as fighter jets. Pilots on fighter jets can track and aim objects based on the HUD system to improve the success rate and flexibility of combat. For another example, it can also be applied to near-eye display (NED) devices, including but not limited to AR glasses, AR helmets, virtual reality (VR) glasses or VR helmets. The HUD system on the NED device can be used to improve the effect of users wearing the NED device to play games, watch videos, participate in virtual meetings or video shopping, and achieve a high-brightness and wide-field-of-view display experience. For another example, it can also be applied to projectors, displays, or car displays. And so on. I will not list them one by one here.

[0081] It should be noted that the application scenarios described in this application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0082] As described in the background technology, the current mainstream HUD system mainly adopts a free-form surface architecture, please refer to Figure 1a above. In this type of architecture, driving-related information will be generated into a real-focus image through the PGU and diffuser in the HUD system. After that, it will pass through two to three free-form surface mirrors (the figure uses two free-form surface mirrors M1 and M2 as an example) to increase the optical depth of field and magnification. It will then be magnified into a virtual image of more than 100 times and projected onto the windshield. It will then be reflected by the windshield to the eye box, and finally form a virtual image with depth of field in front of the windshield. The main problems of this existing HUD system are as follows:

[0083] Problem 1: With existing HUD systems, the human eye's ability to perceive a virtual image depends on the height of the human body and the placement of the PGU below the IP. The brightest light emitted by the PGU is located in the normal direction of the PGU. However, after being reflected, refracted, or transmitted by multiple optical components, this brightest light or nearby brighter light is unlikely to contribute to the formation of a virtual image and enter the human eye. In other words, the human eye has difficulty perceiving the virtual image formed by the reflection of the brightest light or brighter light, resulting in the user being unable to perceive the brighter virtual image.

[0084] Second, existing HUD systems rely on the windshield's glass material to reflect light. However, the angular range of light reflection from glass is narrow, resulting in a narrow lateral and longitudinal field of view for the virtual image. This virtual image is visible only to users in a very small area within the cabin. Even the slightest movement can cause the viewing angle to deteriorate or even render the virtual image invisible. Therefore, existing HUD systems are unable to achieve a wide-field virtual image, hindering full cockpit visibility. Furthermore, light reflection from glass results in significant optical efficiency loss, further reducing the brightness of the light reflected to the human eye.

[0085] Question three: the existing HUD system uses multiple free-form surface reflectors to reflect light, and the multiple free-form surface reflectors are scattered at different heights below the vehicle IP. As the vehicle's demand for FOV and VID increases, the height range occupied by the free-form surface reflectors also needs to increase accordingly, which leads to a sharp increase in the volume of the HUD system. For example, the volume of a HUD system with a 15°×5° FOV and a 7.5-meter VID is 15 liters, while the volume of a HUD with a 20°×8° FOV and a 20-meter VID reaches 25 liters, which makes the HUD system's height requirement for the space below the vehicle IP also increase sharply. However, the width of the space below the existing vehicle IP is usually relatively large, but the height is relatively insufficient. The current height cannot accommodate a HUD system with such a large height requirement, which will obviously seriously affect the promotion and application of the HUD system in vehicles;

[0086] Question 4: Smart cockpit displays have become a key performance and value expression of vehicle performance and user experience. They have evolved into a multi-screen, multi-category combination consisting of a navigation screen / HUD (for displaying navigation images) + an instrument panel (for displaying instrument panels) + a central control panel (for displaying central control images, i.e., images related to vehicle controls, such as the air conditioning and seat heating interfaces) + a passenger panel (for displaying passenger images, such as entertainment-related images, including but not limited to movie screens, music, search, and learning interfaces), as shown in Figure 3. Some scenarios also include projection screens, which display projected images such as skylights, windshields, and side windows. Whether the information displayed on these displays can be integrated across a single screen or across a single category has long been a key focus of smart cockpit display research. However, existing HUD systems, due to their inability to provide a wide field of view virtual image, cannot display relatively large images. Consequently, it is impossible to integrate various vehicle displays into the HUD system for centralized display, significantly limiting the development of smart cockpit display technology.

[0087] In view of the above problems, this application proposes a HUD system to provide users with a high-brightness and wide-field-of-view cockpit display experience, and further realize a small-sized HUD system that supports single-screen compatibility.

[0088] The HUD system proposed in this application is described in detail below with reference to specific drawings.

[0089] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0090] In addition, in this application, the "position" of a component or element does not refer to an absolute position and may allow for certain engineering errors. The "angle" or "angle range" of a light ray does not refer to an absolute angle or angle range and may allow for certain engineering errors. The "distance" does not refer to an absolute distance and may allow for certain engineering errors.

[0091] Implementation Plan 1

[0092] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a HUD system provided in Embodiment 1. The HUD system includes an image generating assembly 410, an optical deflection assembly 420, and a first reflective assembly 430. The optical deflection assembly 420 is disposed in the optical path between the image generating assembly 410 and the first reflective assembly 430. The image generating assembly 410 is configured to generate an image and transmit the image light to the optical deflection assembly 420. The optical deflection assembly 420 is configured to deflect the propagation direction of the light from the image generating assembly 410 and transmit the deflected light to the first reflective assembly 430. The first reflective assembly 430 is configured to reflect the deflected light from the optical deflection assembly 420, so that the reflected light forms a virtual image at a first position outside the windshield 500.

[0093] The following describes each functional component shown in FIG4 and provides an exemplary specific implementation scheme.

[0094] 1. Image Generation Component

[0095] Exemplarily, the image generating component 410 may include a display screen, which may be any type of screen having a display function, including but not limited to a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, and a three-dimensional (3D) display. In some examples, the image generating component 410 may specifically be a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), a mini light-emitting diode (Mini LED), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or other larger screens, or a combination of at least two of these larger screens.

[0096] It is understandable that due to the relatively large screen size, the image generating component can produce a virtual image with a relatively large viewing angle. The larger the horizontal field of view of the virtual image, the more visible the virtual image is to users sitting in different seats, and the larger the vertical field of view of the virtual image, the more visible the virtual image is to users at different heights. In this way, the virtual image generated by the image generating component can be visible to more users in the cockpit space, realizing a wide-field-of-view cockpit display experience.

[0097] Optionally, to ensure that the virtual image is visible to users throughout the cabin, the screen size of image generating component 410 can be configured based on the user's seating range within the cabin. For example, the screen length of image generating component 410 can be configured to be greater than or equal to the length between the left and right seats in the cabin (for example, the length between the driver's and passenger's A-pillars), and the screen width of image generating component 410 can be configured to be greater than or equal to the eye height range of users of different heights seated behind their seats. This ensures that the virtual image displayed by image generating component 410 is visible to all users regardless of their seat and height, ensuring full cabin visibility of the virtual image.

[0098] Further, optionally, the image generating component 410 can be used to generate at least one of the following five types of images: navigation image, instrument image, central control image, co-pilot image, and projection image. For example, in order to adapt to the large screen of the image generating component 410, the image generating component 410 can be configured to generate at least two types of images at the same time. The at least two types of images can be presented on the same plane with the same virtual image distance, or can be presented on different planes with different virtual image distances. For example, please refer to Figures 5a and 5b, which show schematic diagrams of the presentation forms of the two virtual images provided in this application. This example takes the image generating component 410 generating the navigation image and the central control image at the same time as an example. Figure 5a shows a schematic diagram of presenting the navigation image and the central control image on the same plane. This presentation method allows the user to see two types of virtual images at the same distance in front of the field of view. Figure 5b shows a schematic diagram of presenting the navigation image and the central control image on different planes. The figure takes the central control image in front and the navigation image in the back as an example, but the navigation image can also be in front and the central control image in the back. This presentation method allows the user to see different types of virtual images at different distances in front of the field of vision. The user can watch the content he wants to watch in a targeted manner by switching the viewing distance to match the user's visual focus and avoid visual fatigue.

[0099] Furthermore, optionally, to achieve unified display, one-screen compatibility, or one-category compatibility for various types of in-vehicle display screens, the image generation component 410 can also support the simultaneous generation of the five types of images mentioned above. The navigation image can be understood as the image displayed by the HUD system of an existing vehicle, the instrument image is the image displayed on the dashboard of an existing vehicle, the central control image is the image displayed on the central control screen of an existing vehicle, the passenger image is the image displayed on the passenger screen of an existing vehicle, and the projection image is the image projected by the projector of an existing vehicle. With this design, the various types of in-vehicle display screens shown in FIG. 3 will be uniformly replaced by the image generation component 410 in the HUD system. By redefining the cockpit display, the cockpit display can be unified, making it more universally applicable, thereby resolving the fourth problem existing in the above-mentioned existing HUD system.

[0100] 2. Optical Deflection Components

[0101] Exemplarily, the optical deflection component 420 can be any optical element or combination thereof that can change the direction of light propagation, such as a prism, including but not limited to a wedge-shaped prism or a micro-nano prism. For example, taking a micro-nano prism as an example, referring to FIG6 a , it can include a base layer 421 and a micro-nano structure layer 422. The base layer 421 can be made of materials such as glass, resin, or glass-based resin, while the micro-nano structure layer 422 can be made of materials with micron- or nanoscale structural features, such as nanoparticles, photonic crystals, and nanowires. The micro-nano structure layer 422 can be prepared on the surface of the base layer 421 by techniques such as ion beam etching, colloidal crystals, chemical vapor deposition, sol-gel, or molecular beam epitaxy. Micro-nano structures have the characteristics of changing the direction of optical transmission, regulating optical wavelengths, and enhancing optical signals. Metal nanoparticles can also exhibit surface plasmon resonance effects. Using micro-nano structures to prepare optical deflection components can improve the light deflection effect and enhance the signal intensity of light.

[0102] Optionally, the optical deflection assembly 420 may be attached to the surface of the image generating assembly 410. For example, referring to FIG6a and FIG4 , the micro-nanostructure layer 422 of the optical deflection assembly 420 may be attached to the light-emitting surface of the image generating assembly 410. The micro-nanostructure layer 422 may be used to deflect light (or light beam) emitted from the light-emitting surface of the image generating assembly 410 from a first angle (or a first angle range) to a second angle (or a second angle range). For example, please refer to Figure 6b, which shows a schematic diagram comparing the angular ranges of a light beam provided in the present application before and after deflection. In the figure, 0° represents the normal direction of the light-emitting surface of the image generating component 410. In combination with Figure 6a and Figure 6b, assuming that the angular range of the light beam emitted by the image generating component 410 is [-60°, 60°], and the micro-nanostructure layer 422 deflects the light clockwise by 20°, then the micro-nanostructure layer 422 can deflect the light beam emitted by the image generating component 410 from [-60°, 60°] to [-40°, 80°], so that the propagation direction of the light beam is shifted by 20° in the clockwise direction as a whole.

[0103] Furthermore, optionally, the optical deflection component 420 can angularly deflect the light emitted by the image generating component 410 so that light within the angular range of the strongest light intensity is transmitted to the first reflecting component 430. The light within the angular range of the strongest light intensity can be understood as the brightest light (or the light with the strongest light intensity) emitted by the image generating component 410 and light within a certain angular range nearby. This angular range can be set by those skilled in the art based on experience, or can also be customized according to actual scene requirements. For example, in conjunction with Figure 6b, the intensity of the light beam emitted by the image generating component 410 is symmetrically distributed with the normal direction of its light emitting surface as the center. Therefore, the brightest light is located in the normal direction of its light emitting surface, and the intensity of other light rays gradually decreases as the distance from the normal direction increases. Based on this, assuming that the angle range of the strongest light intensity is 30°, the optical deflection component 420 can deflect the light emitted by the image generating component 410 at an angle so that the light within [-30°, 30°] is transmitted to the first reflection component 430, so that the light within the 60° range with relatively high brightness can be controllably transmitted to the first reflection component 430, and then reflected to the human eye, thereby forming a relatively bright virtual image at the human eye, improving the brightness of the virtual image viewed by the human eye, and solving the first problem existing in the above-mentioned existing HUD system.

[0104] It is understandable that the optical deflection component 420 can also deflect light within a relatively strong light intensity angle range to the first reflective component 430, rather than the light within the aforementioned strongest light intensity angle range. For example, the light within the range of [10°, 30°] emitted by the image generating component 410 can be deflected to the first reflective component 430, or the light within the range of [-50°, 0°] emitted by the image generating component 410 can be deflected to the first reflective component 430, or the light within the range of [-10°, 30°] emitted by the image generating component 410 can be deflected to the first reflective component 430, and so on. Although the light within these angle ranges is not the brightest light, it also has relatively high brightness. Compared to existing HUD systems, it can also controllably deflect relatively bright light to the first reflective component, thereby generating a virtual image with relatively high brightness, and thus can also have the effect of enhancing the brightness of the virtual image.

[0105] In addition, the angle at which the optical deflection component 420 deflects light can be determined based on the relative positions of the first reflective component 430 and the image generating component 410 in the actual application scenario. For example, please refer to FIG7 , which shows a schematic diagram of the deflection angles corresponding to the first reflective components in several different positions provided by this application, and the figure still takes clockwise deflection as an example. When the angle between the first reflective component 430 and the normal direction of the light-emitting surface of the image generating component 410 is larger, in order to deflect the brightest light in the normal direction to the first reflective component 430, the optical deflection component 420 needs to deflect the light at a larger angle. For example, as shown in Figure 7, when the first reflective component 430 is located at the position b1 with the largest angle, the optical deflection component 420 needs to deflect the light emitted by the image generating component 410 at a relatively large angle, such as 15° or other relatively large angles, and when the first reflective component 430 is located at the position b2 with a moderate angle, the optical deflection component 420 needs to deflect the light emitted by the image generating component 410 at a moderate angle, such as 10°, and when the first reflective component 430 is located at the position b3 with the smallest angle, the optical deflection component 420 only needs to deflect the light emitted by the image generating component 410 at a relatively small angle, such as 5° or other relatively small angles.

[0106] In one example, as shown in FIG4 , the image generating assembly 410 and the optical deflection assembly 420 can also be arranged below the vehicle IP so as to be shielded by the vehicle IP and maintain the beauty and simplicity of the cabin. In addition, in order to prevent the vehicle IP from blocking the deflected light from the optical deflection assembly 420, a hole or slot can be pre-opened at the position where the deflected light hits the vehicle IP. For example, the image generating assembly 410 and the optical deflection assembly 420 can be installed at the corresponding position below the vehicle IP according to the application scenario, and then the image generating assembly 410 can be controlled to emit a light beam. After that, the position where the light beam finally hits the vehicle IP after being deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 is tested. Finally, a hole or slot is opened at this position of the vehicle IP, and the size of the hole or slot is ensured to be greater than or equal to the coverage range of the deflected light beam when it hits this position, so that the entire deflected light beam can be transmitted through the hole or slot to the first reflective assembly 430, thereby achieving coordination between the vehicle IP and the optical deflection assembly 420 below it.

[0107] In a further example, the position and orientation of the image generating assembly 410 and the optical deflection assembly 420 below the vehicle IP can be designed based on scenario requirements or personal preferences. For example, in one possible design, referring to FIG4 , the image generating assembly 410 can be placed flat below the vehicle IP at a location relatively close to the vehicle IP, and the optical deflection assembly 420 can be attached to the upper surface of the image generating assembly 410. By configuring the light beam deflection angle of the optical deflection assembly 420, the light beam emitted by the image generating assembly 410 can be deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 toward the first reflective assembly 430. Thus, by placing the image generating assembly 410 and the optical deflection assembly 420 parallel to the vehicle IP and very close to the vehicle IP, the two components only occupy a small, essentially negligible height area below the vehicle IP. This effectively adapts to the relatively small height space configuration below the existing vehicle IP, facilitates the promotion and application of HUD systems in vehicles, and resolves the aforementioned third problem of existing HUD systems. In addition, adopting this position and posture design can also reduce the volume occupied by the HUD system under the vehicle IP, so that more space can be reserved under the vehicle IP to set up other cockpit components, realizing a highly integrated and miniaturized design of the cockpit system.

[0108] 3. The first reflection component

[0109] In one possible implementation (referred to as Implementation Method One), the first reflective component 430 may be a windshield 500. For example, refer to FIG8 , which is a schematic structural diagram of another HUD system provided in Implementation Method One. In this example, the light deflected by the optical deflection component 420 can be directly transmitted to the windshield 500 . The windshield 500 has a certain reflective effect on the light and can reflect part of the transmitted light toward the eye box. Although the reflective effect of the windshield 500 is limited, because the optical deflection component 420 reflects light with higher intensity, the windshield 500 can reflect the higher intensity light toward the human eye, thereby ensuring that the human eye can see a relatively bright virtual image, providing the user with a high-brightness cockpit display experience.

[0110] In one example, as shown in Figure 8, the optical deflection assembly 420 can deflect light toward the blackened area below the windshield 500, causing the light to reflect off the windshield glass at the blackened area before entering the human eye. The blackened area below the windshield 500, also known as the black printed area, is primarily used to shield the vehicle's interior IP, maintaining the vehicle's aesthetics. This solution deflects light toward the blackened area below the windshield 500, allowing it to absorb incoming sunlight, preventing it from entering the cabin and interfering with the brightness of the virtual image presented by the light reflected by the optical deflection assembly 420. This improves the contrast of the virtual image in the human eye.

[0111] In another possible implementation (referred to as implementation method two), please refer to FIG4 , the first reflective component 430 may be provided on the windshield 500. The first reflective component 430 may, for example, include a reflective film, which may be a total reflective film or a polarized reflective film, or other types of reflective films. The specific type of reflective film to be selected may be determined based on product requirements. For example, considering that the cost of a total reflective film is higher, but the range of reflection angles is larger, while the cost of a polarized reflective film is relatively lower, but the range of reflection angles is slightly smaller, therefore, if the product requirements have higher requirements for reflective ability, a total reflective film may be selected; if the product requirements have higher requirements for low cost, a polarized reflective film may be selected. By configuring the first reflective component to support different types of reflective films, the HUD system can be flexibly adapted to different application scenarios.

[0112] Optionally, the reflective film may be provided on the windshield 500 in a variety of ways. For example, referring to FIG. 9 , there are two possible schematic diagrams illustrating the provision of the reflective film provided in the present application:

[0113] In one example, referring to FIG. 9 (A), the reflective film may be attached to the inner surface of the windshield 500, for example, by gluing it to the inner surface of the windshield 500, physically sputtering it, or sucking it onto the inner surface of the windshield 500 using a nozzle, etc. The inner surface of the windshield 500 refers to the surface of the windshield 500 facing the cabin space. When light deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 is transmitted from below the IP to the location of the reflective film on the inner surface of the windshield 500, the light is reflected by the reflective film into the cabin space, allowing users in the cabin space to see a high-brightness virtual image.

[0114] In another example, as shown in FIG9 (B), a reflective film can be sandwiched between the glass layers of a windshield 500. The windshield 500 typically has a double-glazed structure. When light deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 strikes the inner surface of the inner glass layer, a portion of the light is reflected back into the cabin space by the inner glass layer, while another portion passes through the inner glass layer and is transmitted between the two glass layers. The reflective film disposed between the two glass layers is then reflected back into the cabin space. By combining the reflective film between the inner glass layer and the glass layer, a high-brightness virtual image can be seen by users in the cabin space.

[0115] Of the two aforementioned configurations, the attachment method improves installation simplicity and convenience, while the sandwich method can provide some protection for the internal reflective film, extending its service life. However, it should be understood that the reflective film in an actual HUD system may also be configured in other ways, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0116] Furthermore, as shown in FIG4 , at least a portion of the first reflective component 430 may be optionally disposed within the blackened area below the windshield 500. For example, if the first reflective component 430 is a reflective film, the reflective film may be disposed entirely within the blackened area below the windshield 500, or partially disposed within the blackened area below the windshield 500 and partially disposed above the blackened area, without obstructing the driver's field of view. In this manner, associating the reflective film with the blackened area of ​​the windshield not only ensures that the reflective film does not obstruct the driver's field of view, thereby maintaining driving safety, but also prevents external light (such as sunlight) from striking the reflective film and being reflected into the cabin, thereby improving the contrast of the virtual image viewed by the human eye.

[0117] As can be appreciated, the larger the reflective film's area, the larger the area it can receive light, which in turn allows it to reflect light over a wider angle range, thus achieving a larger field of view for the virtual image. Therefore, to achieve a larger field of view, the reflective film can be placed in the blackened area below the windshield 500 and in a portion of the area above it. The deflection angle of the optical deflection assembly 420 can be designed based on the reflective film's position, ensuring that the light deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 is accurately transmitted to the reflective film, thereby achieving the effect of light being reflected from the reflective film into the cabin space.

[0118] In the above-mentioned second implementation method, the light deflected by the optical deflection component 420 is reflected to the cabin space through the reflective film, while in the above-mentioned first implementation method, the light is reflected by the windshield 500. The reflection angle range of the reflective film is larger than that of the windshield 500. For example, the reflection angle range of the windshield is usually [-15°, 15°], while the reflection angle range of the reflective film can reach [-30°, 30°] or above. Therefore, the reflective film can reflect the transmitted light to a field of view of 60°×60°, while the windshield can only reflect it to a field of view of 30°×30°. The field of view obtained by the reflection of the reflective film is increased by at least 4 times compared with the windshield. Such a large field of view is sufficient to cover the entire cabin space, so that the virtual image can be seen by all users in the cabin space, and the full cabin visibility of the virtual image can be achieved. Furthermore, the optical efficiency loss of the reflective film can be as low as 5% or less. Therefore, at least 95% of the light intensity deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 onto the reflective film is reflected to the human eye. Compared to solutions that directly reflect light from the windshield, this further increases the brightness of the light entering the human eye and the brightness of the virtual image viewed by the user. Therefore, using the reflective film to reflect light transmitted to the windshield 500 back into the cabin space can solve the second problem of existing HUD systems mentioned above.

[0119] Using the HUD system in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the light emitted by the image generating component 410 is deflected only by the optical deflection component 420 to the first reflection component 430, and then reflected by the first reflection component 430 to the eye box. The light emitted by the image generating component 410 can be transmitted to the eye box through a relatively short distance d1. Therefore, the HUD system can have a relatively small virtual image distance d1 (that is, the sum of the optical path from the image generating component 410 to the optical deflection component 420, the optical path from the optical deflection component 420 to the first reflection component 430, and the optical path from the first reflection component 430 to the eye box), and can be suitable for application scenarios with a relatively small virtual image distance (for example, less than 1m). Therefore, this HUD system can also be called a HUD system with a short virtual image distance.

[0120] Implementation Plan 2

[0121] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a HUD system provided in Embodiment 2. In addition to the image generating component 410, optical deflecting component 420, and first reflecting component 430 described in Embodiment 1, the HUD system may also include a second reflecting component 440. The second reflecting component 440 is disposed in the optical path between the optical deflecting component 420 and the first reflecting component 430, and is configured to receive deflected light from the optical deflecting component 420 and reflect the deflected light toward the first reflecting component 430, or to fold the optical path of the deflected light and reflect it toward the first reflecting component 430.

[0122] Optionally, the second reflective assembly 440 may include at least one reflector. For example, FIG10 illustrates a single reflector 441. This reflector 441 can directly reflect the deflected light from the optical deflection assembly 420 toward the first reflective assembly 430. Therefore, the optical path between the optical deflection assembly 420 and the first reflective assembly 430 is the sum of the optical path from the optical deflection assembly 420 to the reflector 441 and the optical path from the reflector 441 to the first reflective assembly 430. However, if multiple reflectors are included, the deflected light will be reflected between the multiple reflectors and ultimately reflected toward the first reflective assembly 430. For example, referring to FIG11 , which shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of another HUD system, the light deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 is first reflected by the first reflector 4411 to the second reflector 4412, and then reflected by the second reflector 4412 to the first reflective assembly 430. Therefore, the optical path between the optical deflection assembly 420 and the first reflective assembly 430 is the sum of the optical path from the optical deflection assembly 420 to the first reflector 4411, the optical path from the first reflector 4411 to the second reflector 4412, and the optical path from the second reflector 4412 to the first reflective assembly 430. This optical path is greater than the optical path of a system including only one reflector. Similarly, the relevant contents of three or more reflectors can be referred to in the setting, and are not listed here one by one.

[0123] It is understandable that the more reflectors there are, the more times the light is turned, the longer the optical path the light travels, and the larger the virtual image distance of the HUD system. For example, the HUD system shown in FIG10 includes only one reflector 441, and its virtual image distance d 21 The sum of the optical path from the image generating component 410 to the optical deflection component 420, the optical path from the optical deflection component 420 to the reflector 441, the optical path from the reflector 441 to the first reflective component 430, and the optical path from the first reflective component 430 to the eye box. The HUD system shown in FIG11 includes two reflectors 4411-4412, and their virtual image distance d 22is the sum of the optical path from the image generating component 410 to the optical deflection component 420, the optical path from the optical deflection component 420 to the first reflector 4411, the optical path from the first reflector 4411 to the second reflector 4412, the optical path from the second reflector 4412 to the first reflective component 430, and the optical path from the first reflective component 430 to the eye box. Obviously, the virtual image distance d 22 Greater than the virtual image distance d 21 .

[0124] Furthermore, taking the HUD system shown in FIG10 as an example, the image generation component 410, optical deflection component 420, and reflector 441 can all be positioned below the vehicle IP, so as to be shielded by the vehicle IP and maintain the cabin's aesthetics and simplicity. Furthermore, to prevent the vehicle IP from blocking the light beam reflected from the reflector 441, a slot or hole can be pre-cut into the vehicle IP at the location where the reflected light beam hits. The size of the slot or hole must be greater than or equal to the coverage area of ​​the reflected light beam at that location, ensuring that the entire reflected light beam can pass through the slot or hole and be transmitted to the first reflective component 430, thereby achieving coordination between the vehicle IP and the reflector 441 below it.

[0125] Furthermore, optionally, the position and posture of the image generating assembly 410, the optical deflection assembly 420, and the reflector 441 below the vehicle IP can be designed based on scenario requirements or personal habits. For example, in one possible design approach, referring to FIG10 , the image generating assembly 410, the optical deflection assembly 420, and the reflector 441 can be placed in the same height area below the vehicle IP (the height area shown in the figure as h1). By configuring the deflection angle of the optical deflection assembly 420 on the light beam and the tilt angle of the reflector 441, the light beam emitted by the image generating assembly 410 can pass through the optical deflection assembly 420 and the reflector 441 and then be transmitted to the first reflective assembly 430. In this way, by placing these three components in the same height area h1 below the vehicle IP, the three components can be located in the same height range, rather than being dispersed at different heights. Even if the height of the space below the vehicle IP is limited, the three components of the HUD system can be successfully deployed within this limited height, thereby achieving the promotion and application of the HUD system on vehicles and solving the aforementioned problem three of the existing HUD system. In addition, this position and posture design allows the three components to be tightly packed together in a relatively small area below the vehicle IP, reducing the volume occupied by the HUD system below the vehicle IP. This allows more space to be reserved below the vehicle IP for the installation of other cockpit components, achieving a highly integrated and miniaturized design of the cockpit system.

[0126] Exemplarily, the aforementioned reflector can be formed by coating a reflective film on the surface of a substrate material such as resin, glass or metal. Among them, the resin can be understood to be made of materials such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) (also known as acrylic or organic glass), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or epoxy resin (EP). The reflective film can be, for example, an aluminum metal film, a physical dielectric film or other types of reflective films. When only one reflector is included, the surface of the reflective film on the reflector needs to face the optical deflection component 420 so that the deflected light beam emitted by the optical deflection component 420 can be transmitted to the reflective film, and then reflected by the reflective film to the first reflective component 430.

[0127] By way of example, the aforementioned reflector can be any type of reflector. For example, FIG10 illustrates a plane reflector. This plane reflector occupies a smaller cabin space, allowing for greater mobility for the user, improving ride comfort, and contributing to a highly integrated cabin design. However, it can also be a curved reflector. For example, as shown in FIG12 , a curved reflector can not only reflect light but also, together with the first reflective assembly 430, compensate for image distortion, thereby improving the quality of the virtual image. Of course, other types of reflectors can also be used, such as prismatic reflectors or off-axis parabolic reflectors, which are not listed here.

[0128] In the second embodiment described above, the light deflected by the optical deflection component 420 can first be deflected by at least one reflector to the first reflective component 430, and then reflected by the first reflective component 430 to the eye box. The at least one reflector can increase the optical path between the optical deflection component 420 and the first reflective component 430, so that the virtual image is formed at a position farther away from the human eye, thereby optimizing the visual experience of the human eye when viewing the virtual image and avoiding visual fatigue. In addition, if the HUD system shown in Figures 10 or 12 is used, since the HUD system only uses one reflector 441 for intermediate deflection of the light, its effect on increasing the optical path is relatively limited, and its virtual image distance d 21 It is only slightly larger than the virtual image distance d1 in the first embodiment, and is applicable to scenes with a relatively moderate virtual image distance (such as 1m to 2m). Therefore, this HUD system can also be called a HUD system with a medium virtual image distance.

[0129] Implementation Plan 3

[0130] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a HUD system provided in Embodiment 3. This HUD system also includes the image generation component 410, optical deflection component 420, first reflection component 430, and second reflection component 440 described in Embodiment 2. However, unlike Embodiment 2, the second reflection component 440, in addition to the reflector 441, also includes a polarizer 442 and a phase delay wave plate 443. The polarizer 442 is disposed in the optical path between the optical deflection component 420 and the phase delay wave plate 443, while the phase delay wave plate 443 is disposed in the optical path between the polarizer 442 and the reflector 441. The polarizer 442 transmits P-polarized light and reflects S-polarized light, while the phase delay wave plate 443 delays the phase of light, converting linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light, or vice versa. For example, when the HUD system is operating, polarizer 442 can receive deflected light from optical deflection assembly 420. If the deflected light is P-polarized light, polarizer 442 can transmit the P-polarized light to phase retardation wave plate 443. Phase retardation wave plate 443 can phase retard the received P-polarized light, converting it into circularly polarized light, which is then transmitted to reflector 441. Reflector 441 reflects the received circularly polarized light, returning it to phase retardation wave plate 443. Phase retardation wave plate 443 further phase retards the received circularly polarized light, converting it into S-polarized light, which is then transmitted back to polarizer 442. Polarizer 442 then reflects the received S-polarized light, transmitting it to first reflective assembly 430, where it is then reflected by first reflective assembly 430 to the eye box.

[0131] It should be noted that FIG13 is to illustrate the transmission path of the folded optical path, so the round-trip optical path between the polarizer 442 and the phase delay wave plate 443 is drawn on two different lines above and below. However, in the actual optical path, the light emitted by the polarizer 442 and the light returned by the phase delay wave plate 443 should be on the same line. For example, please refer to FIG14, which shows a schematic diagram of the transmission path of an actual optical path provided by Implementation Example 3. In the actual optical path, the light emitted by the image generating component 410 is deflected by the optical deflection component 420 and can be incident on the polarizer 442 in the horizontal direction (the main direction of the light beam) and directly transmitted by the polarizer 442 to the phase delay wave plate 443. Thereafter, it is reflected by the reflector 441 and returns to the polarizer 442 in the horizontal direction, and is then reflected by the polarizer 442 to the first reflection component 430. However, it should be understood that this is only a possible transmission path of the light under the illustrated placement method. When the placement method changes, such as when the tilt angle of the component changes, or when the placement position of the component changes, the transmission path of the light will also change accordingly. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0132] In one possible implementation, referring to FIG. 13 , the image generating assembly 410, optical deflection assembly 420, polarizer 442, phase delay wave plate 443, and reflector 441 can all be disposed below the vehicle IP to provide shielding through the vehicle IP, thereby maintaining the cabin's aesthetics and simplicity. Furthermore, to prevent the vehicle IP from shielding the light beam reflected by the polarizer 442, a slot or hole can be pre-cut on the vehicle IP at the location where the light beam reflected by the polarizer 442 is irradiated. The size of the slot or hole can be ensured to be greater than or equal to the coverage area of ​​the reflected light beam when it hits that location, so that the entire reflected light beam can be transmitted through the slot or hole to the first reflective assembly 430, thereby achieving coordination between the vehicle IP and the polarizer 442 below it.

[0133] In a further possible implementation, the position and posture of the image generating component 410, the optical deflection component 420, the polarizer 442, the phase delay wave plate 443, and the reflector 441 below the vehicle IP can be designed according to scene requirements or personal habits. For example, in one possible design, referring to FIG13 , these five components can be placed in the same height area below the vehicle IP (such as the height area h2 shown in the figure), and by configuring the deflection angle of the optical deflection component 420 on the light beam, the tilt angle of the polarizer 442, and the tilt angle of the reflector 441, the light beam emitted by the image generating component 410 can pass through the optical deflection component 420, the polarizer 442, the phase delay wave plate 443, and the reflector 441 and then be transmitted to the first reflective component 430. By placing these five components within the same height region h2 below the vehicle IP, they are located within the same height range, rather than being dispersed across different heights. Even with limited height below the vehicle IP, this placement allows the five components of the HUD system to be successfully deployed beneath the vehicle IP, enabling the widespread adoption and application of HUD systems in vehicles. Furthermore, this positioning and orientation design allows the five components to be tightly packed within a relatively small area below the vehicle IP, reducing the volume occupied by the HUD system beneath the vehicle IP. This allows more space below the vehicle IP to be reserved for other cockpit components, achieving a highly integrated and compact cockpit system.

[0134] Exemplarily, the aforementioned polarizer 442 can be any type of lens structure that can achieve P-polarized light transmission and S-polarized light reflection, such as a plane reflective polarizer, a curved reflective polarizer or a prismatic reflective polarizer, or other types of polarizers, without specific limitation.

[0135] Exemplarily, the aforementioned phase delay wave plate 443 can be any type of wave plate that can achieve phase delay, such as a quarter wave plate (QWP). A quarter wave plate can cause light to produce a phase delay of an odd multiple of π / 2. Therefore, after a linearly polarized light beam passes through a quarter wave plate, the polarization state of the light beam changes from a linear polarization state to a circular polarization state, and after a circularly polarized light beam passes through a quarter wave plate, the polarization state of the light beam changes from a circular polarization state to a linear polarization state. For example, after a left-handed circularly polarized light beam passes through a quarter wave plate, the polarization state of the light beam changes from a left-handed circular polarization state to a P polarization state. After a right-handed circularly polarized light beam passes through a quarter wave plate, the polarization state of the light beam changes from a right-handed circular polarization state to an S polarization state.

[0136] Therefore, when the phase retardation wave plate 443 is a quarter-wave plate, after receiving the P-polarized light from the polarizer 442, the quarter-wave plate will generate a phase retardation of an odd multiple of π / 2 on the P-polarized light, causing the P-polarized light to become circularly polarized light in a left-handed circular polarization state and transmit the left-handed circular polarization state to the reflector 441. The circularly polarized light in the left-handed circular polarization state will be reflected by the reflector 441 as circularly polarized light in a right-handed circular polarization state and return to the quarter-wave plate. After receiving the right-handed circular polarization state from the reflector 441, the quarter-wave plate will generate a phase retardation of an odd multiple of π / 2 on the right-handed circular polarization state, causing the right-handed circular polarization state to become S-polarized light and transmit the S-polarized light to the polarizer 442.

[0137] In some embodiments, the phase retardation wave plate 443 can be attached to the surface of the reflector 441. For example, when the phase retardation wave plate 443 is a quarter-wave plate, the quarter-wave plate can be prepared in the form of a polarizing film and fixed to the side of the reflector 441 facing the polarizer 442 using a transparent optical adhesive (OCA). This attachment method can make the components more compact, further reducing the size of the HUD system. However, it should be understood that other processing methods can also be used, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0138] In the third embodiment described above, the light deflected by the optical deflection assembly 420 is first transmitted by the polarizer 442 to the phase retardation wave plate 443 and the reflector 441, then reflected back to the polarizer 442 by the phase retardation wave plate 443 and the reflector 441, and then reflected by the polarizer 442 to the first reflective assembly 430. Compared to the second embodiment, the deflected light undergoes multiple reflections and transmissions between the polarizer 442, the phase retardation wave plate 443, and the reflector 441 before propagating to the first reflective assembly 430. This further increases the optical path between the optical deflection assembly 420 and the first reflective assembly 430, thereby achieving a longer virtual image distance. For example, the virtual image distance d3 of the HUD system shown in Figure 13 is the sum of the optical path between the image generating component 410 and the optical deflection component 420, the optical path between the optical deflection component 420 and the polarizer 442, the optical path between the polarizer 442 and the phase delay wave plate 443 and the reflector 441, the return optical path between the phase delay wave plate 443 and the reflector 441 and the polarizer 442, the optical path between the polarizer 442 and the first reflective component 430, and the optical path between the first reflective component 430 and the eye box. The virtual image distance d3 is relatively large (for example, 2m to 3m). Therefore, this type of HUD system can also be called a HUD system with a long virtual image distance.

[0139] It is understood that the fewer components a HUD system includes, the smaller the volume it occupies, making it more adaptable to vehicles with a smaller space below the IP. For example, in the aforementioned embodiment 1, only the image generating component 410 and the optical deflection component 420 attached to the surface of the image generating component 410 are disposed below the vehicle IP. These two components occupy only a very small space (including height and width) below the vehicle IP. Therefore, embodiment 1 is applicable to vehicles with very small space below the IP. In contrast, in the aforementioned embodiments 2 and 3, a second reflective component 440 is disposed below the vehicle IP, thereby occupying more space than embodiment 1. However, the second reflective component 440 in embodiment 2 only includes one reflector, while the second reflective component 440 in embodiment 3 includes three components. Therefore, embodiment 2 occupies less space than embodiment 3 and is applicable to vehicles with relatively small space below the IP, while embodiment 3 is applicable to vehicles with relatively large space below the IP. For example, since both Implementation Plans 2 and 3 place all components in the same height area below the IP, there is no significant difference in the height occupied by these two implementation plans below the IP, but there is a significant difference in the width occupied. In Implementation Plan 2, there are only three components placed horizontally, so the width occupied is relatively small, while in Implementation Plan 3, there are five components placed horizontally, so the width occupied is relatively large.

[0140] Furthermore, by comparing Figure 10 of the second embodiment and Figure 13 of the third embodiment, it can be seen that the height range h2 of the components in the third embodiment is similar to the height range h1 of the components in the second embodiment, but the virtual image distance d3 in the third embodiment is significantly larger than the virtual image distance d2 in the second embodiment. Clearly, placing the components of the HUD system in the same height range can further improve the virtual image distance of the HUD system without increasing the occupied height, making the HUD system suitable for vehicles with different virtual image distance requirements.

[0141] In addition, in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0142] For example, in another embodiment, embodiment 4 can be obtained by combining Figure 8 in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 with embodiment 2 or embodiment 3. The HUD system in embodiment 4 includes an image generating component 410, an optical deflection component 420 and a second reflection component 440. The light beam within the strongest light intensity angle range emitted by the image generating component 410 is first deflected by the optical deflection component 420 to the second reflection component 440, and then reflected by the second reflection component 440 to the windshield 500, and then directly reflected by the windshield 500 to the eye box.

[0143] For example, in another embodiment, embodiment five can be obtained by combining Figure 4 in the above-mentioned embodiment one with embodiment two. The HUD system in embodiment five includes an image generating component 410, a second reflecting component 440 and a first reflecting component 430. The light emitted by the image generating component 410 is directly reflected by the second reflecting component 440 to the first reflecting component 430, and then reflected by the first reflecting component 430 to the eye box.

[0144] There are many other possible implementation plans, which are not listed here one by one.

[0145] Based on the HUD system described above, the present application may also provide a vehicle, which may include the aforementioned HUD system.

[0146] Exemplarily, the vehicle may further include a windshield, and the windshield is used to display a virtual image corresponding to the light from the HUD system.

[0147] Exemplarily, the vehicle may further include an IP, wherein a through hole is provided on the IP, and the through hole is used to allow light from the HUD system to pass through, so that the light can be smoothly transmitted to the windshield position, thereby forming a virtual image outside the windshield.

[0148] Exemplarily, the means of transport may be a vehicle, such as a car, truck, bus, recreational vehicle, amusement park vehicle, tram, golf cart, train, automated guided vehicle (AGV), etc.; it may also be an aircraft, such as a passenger aircraft, cargo aircraft, passenger and cargo aircraft, helicopter, forest protection aircraft, fighter aircraft, bomber, attack aircraft, interceptor aircraft, sightseeing aircraft, land plane, seaplane, canard aircraft, tailless aircraft, etc.; it may also be a ship, such as a passenger ship, cargo ship, container ship, roll-on / roll-off ship, barge, bulk grain ship, coal ship, salvage ship, rescue ship, icebreaker, scientific research ship, etc.; it may also be construction equipment, such as an excavator, bulldozer, scraper, loader, grader, mixer, pile driver, drilling machine, crane, lift, winch, mixer truck, dump truck, road roller, lawn mower, etc.; and so on, which are not listed one by one here.

[0149] It is understood that the above HUD system can be extended to any device that requires imaging brightness and field of view. For example, it can also be applied to any electronic device with projection function, including but not limited to projectors, screen projectors, displays, wearable devices, etc.

[0150] In addition, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new scenarios, the HUD system provided in this application is also applicable to similar technical problems, and this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0151] In this application, "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. "At least one" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these, including any combination of single or plural. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in this application, the word "optionally" or "exemplarily" is used to indicate an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "example" or "optional" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Alternatively, it can be understood that the use of the word "example" or "optional" is intended to present concepts in a specific way and does not constitute a limitation on this application.

[0152] It will be appreciated that the various numerical numbers involved in this application are merely for the purpose of describing the distinctions made, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution, and the order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic. Terms such as "first", "second", and similar expressions are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, comprising a series of steps or units. Methods, systems, products, or devices are not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or that are inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

Claims

1. A head-up display (HUD) system, characterized in that: It includes an image generating component, an optical deflecting component and a first reflecting component, wherein the optical deflecting component is arranged on an optical path between the image generating component and the first reflecting component; The image generating component is used to generate an image and transmit the light of the image to the optical deflection component; The optical deflection component is used to deflect the propagation direction of the light from the image generating component and propagate the deflected light to the first reflecting component; The first reflecting component is used to reflect the deflected light from the optical deflecting component, and the reverse extension line of the reflected light forms a virtual image at a first position outside the windshield.

2. The HUD system according to claim 1, wherein: The first reflective component is the windshield, or the first reflective component is arranged on the windshield.

3. The HUD system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The optical deflection component is specifically used for: The light within the angle range of the strongest light intensity generated by the image generating component is deflected to the first reflecting component.

4. The HUD system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first reflective component is at least partially disposed in the blackened area of ​​the windshield.

5. The HUD system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first reflective component includes a reflective film, which is attached to the inner surface of the windshield or sandwiched between the glass layers of the windshield.

6. The HUD system according to claim 5, wherein: The reflective film is a total reflective film or a polarized reflective film.

7. The HUD system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The image generating assembly and the optical deflection assembly are placed below the instrument platform IP in parallel with the IP.

8. The HUD system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: Also included is a second reflective component, the second reflective component being disposed on an optical path between the optical deflection component and the first reflective component; The second reflective component is used to receive the deflected light from the optical deflecting component and reflect the deflected light to the first reflective component, or fold the optical path of the deflected light and then reflect it to the first reflective component.

9. The HUD system according to claim 8, wherein: The second reflective component includes a reflector.

10. The HUD system according to claim 9, wherein: The second reflective component further comprises a polarizer and a phase delay wave plate, wherein the polarizer is arranged on the optical path between the optical deflection component and the phase delay wave plate; The polarizer is configured to transmit the P-polarized light from the optical deflection component to the phase retardation wave plate, and reflect the S-polarized light from the phase retardation wave plate to the first reflection component; The phase retardation wave plate is used to convert the P-polarized light from the polarizer into circularly polarized light and transmit it to the reflector, and to convert the circularly polarized light from the reflector into S-polarized light and project it back to the polarizer; The reflecting mirror is used to reflect the circularly polarized light from the phase delay wave plate back to the phase delay wave plate.

11. The HUD system according to claim 10, wherein: The phase delay wave plate is a quarter wave plate, and the phase delay wave plate is attached to the surface of the plane reflector.

12. The HUD system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein: The image generating component, the optical deflection component and the second reflecting component are located at the same height area below the instrument platform IP.

13. The HUD system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The optical deflection component is attached to the surface of the image generating component.

14. The HUD system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The optical deflection component includes a base layer and a micro-nano structure arranged on the surface of the base layer.

15. A means of transport, characterized in that: The device comprises a windshield and a head-up display (HUD) system according to any one of claims 1 to 14; the windshield is used to display an image corresponding to the virtual image.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15, wherein: It also includes an instrument panel IP, on which a through hole is provided, and the through hole is used to allow light from the HUD system to pass through.

Images