Head-Up Display Circuit Device for Transparent Area Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Head-up display devices project light onto transparent areas without display objects, causing them to appear whitish, which reduces visibility in dark environments.

Innovation Solution

A circuit device with a distortion correction circuit and an image analysis circuit that independently controls light emitting elements in the backlight device based on image analysis to ensure transparent areas remain transparent, eliminating the whitish appearance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If light is projected onto the transparent area without display objects in the head-up display device, then the display area can be maintained transparent for real world visibility, but the transparent area appears whitish which reduces visibility in dark environments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisibility of transparent areaVSAvoidwhitish appearance in transparent area
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The backlight device is divided into multiple independently controllable light emitting elements corresponding to different display areas. The circuit device segments the control of each light emitting element based on image analysis to determine whether to activate it, enabling precise control over which areas receive backlight illumination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different display areas are assigned different backlight control characteristics. Areas corresponding to display objects receive backlight illumination while areas corresponding to transparent regions have their backlight elements turned off. This local differentiation eliminates the whitish appearance in transparent areas while maintaining proper illumination in display areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Illumination intensity

If the backlight device is controlled based on image analysis, then transparent areas can be kept truly transparent, but the system complexity increases due to parallel processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebacklight control precisionVSAvoidcircuit device structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The distortion correction circuit and image analysis circuit are integrated into a single circuit device that processes image data through both functions simultaneously. The circuit device combines distortion correction with transparent area detection and backlight control in one unified structure, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precise control capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The image analysis circuit performs preliminary analysis of the image data to identify transparent areas before the backlight control is executed. This preliminary action allows the system to prepare control signals in advance, enabling synchronized operation between distortion correction, image analysis, and backlight control without requiring complex real-time processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4167221B1Circuit device and head-up display device
Publication Date: 2025.06.25 SEIKO EPSON CORP
  • EP4167221B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4167221B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4167221B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A circuit device is used in a head-up display device including a display panel and a backlight device having a plurality of light emitting elements. The circuit device includes a distortion correction circuit and an image analysis circuit. The distortion correction circuit performs distortion correction on input image data and outputs output image data after the distortion correction. The image analysis circuit analyzes image data to be analyzed, which is the input image data or the output image data, and, based on an analysis result, and performs backlight control processing of turning off a light emitting element corresponding to a display area that becomes transparent when projected by the head-up display device among a plurality of display areas corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements in the display panel.