HUD Light Shutter Control via Vehicle Orientation and GPS Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-screen head-up displays (HUDs) face thermal damage from incident sunlight due to high thermal energy density, and existing methods for preventing this, such as reducing backlight unit light output or using a light shutter, are inefficient or require multiple photosensors, which are not accurate in determining harmful sunlight angles.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for the HUD that includes a light shutter, a photosensor, a vehicle orientation sensor, and a controller to determine the sunlight incidence angle and vehicle position, allowing the HUD to set and release a protection mode based on vehicle information, minimizing unnecessary light shutter operations and ensuring safe operation of the image output component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a light shutter is used to block incident sunlight, then thermal damage to the imaging element is prevented, but the device complexity increases and power consumption increases due to frequent operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces vehicle information (GPS location, orientation, sunlight angle data) as an intermediary parameter to predict harmful sunlight incidence. Instead of directly monitoring thermal damage or using complex sensor arrays, the system uses vehicle metadata to anticipate when sunlight will threaten the imaging element, triggering the light shutter proactively. This resolves the contradiction by adding a simple information layer that prevents thermal damage without requiring complex hardware changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by using vehicle information to predict harmful sunlight incidence before it actually occurs. The controller calculates the angle of incident sunlight based on vehicle orientation and GPS data, and activates the light shutter in advance to block potentially harmful light. This prevents thermal damage while avoiding the need for continuous complex monitoring systems, as the shutter is activated only when predicted conditions warrant protection.
2Measurement precision
If multiple photosensors are deployed to determine harmful sunlight angles accurately, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical system of multiple photosensors with an information-processing approach using vehicle metadata. Instead of physically measuring sunlight angles with multiple sensors, the system calculates incident angles using GPS location, vehicle orientation data, and known sunlight trajectories. This substitution achieves equivalent or superior measurement precision while dramatically reducing device complexity, as it uses existing vehicle systems rather than adding specialized optical sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual model of sunlight incidence by copying and processing vehicle information (GPS coordinates, orientation angles, timestamp) to calculate predicted sunlight paths. Rather than directly sensing physical light angles with multiple photosensors, the system generates a computational representation of the sunlight threat based on vehicle state data. This copying approach achieves precise angle determination while avoiding the hardware complexity of multiple physical sensors.
3Ease of manufacture
If the backlight unit light output is reduced to prevent thermal damage, then implementation simplicity improves, but protection effectiveness decreases for large-screen HUDs
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by using vehicle information to predict harmful sunlight incidence and activating the light shutter before thermal damage can occur. The controller calculates the angle of incident sunlight based on vehicle orientation and GPS data, and proactively blocks the light path using the shutter mechanism. This prevents thermal damage to the imaging element while maintaining full backlight output, as the protection occurs upstream in the optical path rather than by reducing backlight intensity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively blocks harmful light, efficiently sets and releases the protection mode to prevent thermal damage, ensuring continuous provision of travel information while reducing power consumption and extending the service life of the light shutter.
Implementation Method 1
a photosensor configured to measure the illuminance of the incident light
Implementation Method 2
the light shutter may operate to block the incident light from reaching the imaging element
Implementation Method 3
a vehicle orientation sensor configured to measure a vehicle orientation angle
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are a head-up display (HUD) including a photosensor for measuring the illuminance of incoming light and a light shutter in order to protect an imaging element vulnerable to thermal damage from sunlight reaching from the outside, and a method including setting the HUD protection mode by operating the light shutter, determining whether to release the HUD protection mode by estimating the change in the incident angle of the incoming light from the change in the vehicle orientation angle instead of using the photosensor incapable of measuring the light as the incoming light is blocked and additionally determining whether to release the HUD protection mode based on vehicle information including vehicle location, navigation map information, the brightness of surroundings of the vehicle, and rain sensor detection information.