JPH08122737A - Head-up display device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a compact, inexpensive, and easy-to-read head-up display device for vehicles. A display light emitted from a plurality of image displays 7a, 7b, 7c capable of displaying different route guidance images is optically reflected on a semitransparent image display unit located in front of a driver seated in a driver's seat. Systems 8a, 8b, 8c, 9a, 9
Guide by b and 9c. The positions of the display images on the display unit are separated from each other on the left and right.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular head-up display device capable of displaying a route guidance image, and can be used to assist judgment of a traveling direction of a vehicle while driving.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A navigation device for a vehicle is provided with a liquid crystal display or the like arranged beside a driver's seat, and the map and the current position are displayed on the display by an information signal obtained from a traffic information system such as VICS. Therefore, a device that gives position information to the driver is used.

In recent years, in addition to such a navigation device, it has been considered to display route guidance information by a head-up display device. For example, when turning right to reach a destination or a passing point, a right-direction arrow image that displays the route, or a route guidance image composed of character images such as city names displayed at the tip of the arrow image, Attempts have been made to display in front of the driver sitting in the driver's seat.

Conventionally, such a route guidance image is displayed by a single image display unit, and the display light emitted from the image display unit is a semitransparent image display unit located in front of the driver's seat by an optical system. Was led to.

[0005]

However, when a route guidance image including a graphic image such as an arrow image and a character image such as a city name is displayed by a single image display device, the display device displays the image. The screen becomes large and the device becomes large.

Further, when the image display section is made semi-transparent so that not only the route guidance image but also the front area of the vehicle can be visually recognized, when a character image is always in the driver's field of view, driving is improved. It's annoying and disturbing. Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the horizontal distance between the graphic image and the character image so that the character image is in the driver's visual field only when it is intended to be read. But,
If the horizontal distance between the graphic image and the character image is increased in this way, even if the vertical dimension is small, the horizontal dimension is large, which not only makes the screen of the display larger, but also makes the optical system wider. Therefore, the device becomes large in size.

Further, when the screen of the display becomes large,
The aperture of the optical system also becomes large, and the F value becomes small unless the focal length is made large, which makes it difficult to reduce aberrations and cannot be established as an optical system. Therefore, the optical path length in the optical system becomes large, the apparatus becomes large, and the components of the optical system become expensive.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle head-up display device which can solve the above problems.

[0009]

A vehicle head-up display device of the present invention drives a plurality of image displays capable of displaying different route guidance images and display light emitted from the respective image displays. With an optical system leading to a semi-transparent image display section located in front of the driver sitting in the seat,
The positions of the respective display images on the display unit are separated from each other in the left and right directions.

[0010]

According to the structure of the present invention, the plurality of image displays can display different route guidance images by sharing different route guidance images. As a result, the size of the screen of each display can be reduced compared to the case where the route guidance image is displayed on a single image display.

By making the image display part semi-transparent, not only the route guidance image but also the front area of the vehicle can be visually recognized. In this case, since the positions of the respective display images on the display section are separated from each other on the left and right, head boxes where the respective display images can be visually recognized are provided at different positions, and when the driver is always in the field of view, it is annoying and disturbing. Etc. can be in the driver's view only when they are intended to be read. Thus, even if the left-right interval of each display image is increased, the screen of each display does not become large.

Since the screen of the display becomes small, the aperture of the optical system can be made small, the focal length can be made small, the F value can be made large, and the aberration can be easily reduced and the optical system can be easily established. The optical path length in the optical system can be shortened,
Further, the components of the optical system can be mass-produced in small size, so that the cost is low.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The vehicle head-up display device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a navigation device 3 arranged beside a driver's seat 2 of an automobile. The navigation device 3 gives position information to the driver 4 by displaying a map and a current position on a liquid crystal display or the like by an information signal obtained from a traffic information system such as VICS, and can be configured by a conventionally known device. . The head-up display device 1, based on the position information sent from the navigation device 3 and the route information that has been input in advance, displays a route guidance image on the front windshield (image display) of the driver 4 seated in the driver's seat 2. Part) 5. The windshield 5 is translucent so that light from outside the vehicle can be transmitted and light from inside the vehicle can be reflected.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the head-up display device 1 includes a cover 6 and three transmissive liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b and 7c built in the cover 6.
And three optical systems corresponding to the respective liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b and 7c. The cover 6 corresponds to each optical system.
It has one display light emission window 6a, 6b, 6c. The liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b, 7c are arranged side by side on the left and right, and the backlight sources 10a, 10b, 10c and the liquid crystal drive circuit board 11 are arranged behind them.

As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal drive circuit board 11 has a controller 1 having a path information input device 12a.
It is connected to the navigation device 3 via 2. The control device 12 is composed of a computer, and based on route information such as a destination or a route to the destination input from the input device 12a and current position information sent from the navigation device 3, an image signal for route guidance. To the liquid crystal drive circuit. The liquid crystal drive circuit drives each of the liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b, 7c based on the route guidance image signal,
An image for route guidance is formed on each display screen. Each of the liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b, 7c is connected to the backlight light source 10a, 10
By irradiating with b and 10c, image display light is emitted as shown by a dashed line in the figure. Each optical system guides the image display light to the windshield 5 through the emission windows 6a, 6b, 6c and has curved mirrors 8a, 8b, 8c and auxiliary curved mirrors 9a, 9b, 9c. Each mirror 8a,
8b, 8c, 9a, 9b, and 9c are aspherical off-axial with a shape corresponding to the curvature and inclination of the windshield 5 so that the driver 4 does not see the route guidance image reflected on the windshield 5 as being distorted. Has been done.

The route guidance images displayed on the respective liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b and 7c are different from each other,
The positions of the respective display images on the windshield 5 are left and right away from each other. For example, as shown in (1) of FIG. 5, the central liquid crystal display 7b displays the graphic image 15 including the left-pointing arrow image and the right-pointing arrow image, and the left-side liquid crystal display 7a displays the left-pointing arrow image. On the left side of the arrow image, a character image 16 such as a city name or a road name of the destination point or the passing point is displayed, and the liquid crystal display 7c on the right side displays the city of the destination point or the passing point on the right side of the right pointing arrow image. A character image 17 such as a name or a road name is displayed. Further, each image 15, 16 on the windshield 5
In FIG. 17, when the head of the driver 4 is in the position in the normal driving posture, only the graphic image 15 is visually recognized as shown in (2) of FIG. When it is swung slightly to the right of the position in time, the character image 17 on the right is visually recognized as shown in (3) of FIG. 5, and the driver 4 intentionally places his head slightly left of the position in the normal driving posture. When it is swung to the left, the character image 16 on the left side is arranged so as to be visually recognized as shown in (4) of FIG.

According to the above head-up display device 1, the three liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b and 7c display different route guidance images 15, 16 and 17, respectively,
Information for route guidance can be shared and displayed. As a result, the size of the screen of each liquid crystal display 7a, 7b, 7c can be reduced as compared with the case where the route guidance image is displayed on a single image display. Further, by displaying the route guidance images 15, 16 and 17 on the semi-transparent windshield 5, the front area of the vehicle can be visually recognized. In this case, head boxes (that is, the range of the driver's eye points) in which the respective route guidance images can be visually recognized are provided at different positions, and the character images 16 and 17 are the positions of the driver 4 when the head is in the normal driving posture. Since the positions of the respective route guidance images on the windshield 5 are greatly separated from each other so that they cannot be seen unless they are intentionally moved from the front, the character image which is annoying and disturbing when the driver 4 is always in the visual field. It is possible for 16, 17 to be in view of the driver 4 only when it is intended to be read. Thus, the screens of the liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b, and 7c do not become large even if the distance between the route guidance images 15, 16, and 17 is large. The liquid crystal display 7a, 7
By reducing the screens of b and 7c, the mirrors 8a, 8b, 8c, 9a, 9b and 9c forming the optical system can be made smaller, the focal length can be made smaller, the F value can be made larger, and the aberration can be easily reduced. Can be easily established as an optical system, the optical path length in the optical system can be shortened, and each mirror 8a, 8b, 8
Since c, 9a, 9b, and 9c can be mass-produced in small size, they are inexpensive. As a result, the head-up display device 1 becomes small, inexpensive, and easy to view. For example,
As each of the liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b, and 7c, a 32 × 64 dot matrix type display screen having a display screen of about 6.5 × 13 mm is used, and the size of the device 1 can be set to about the size of an A5 size book.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the three display light emission windows 6 in the above embodiment
A, 6b, 6c may be a single continuous window. In addition, the three curved mirrors 8a, 8b in the above embodiment,
A single optical system may be provided by using 8c as a single continuous curved mirror and by using three auxiliary curved mirrors 9a, 9b, 9c as a single continuous auxiliary curved mirror. The constituent elements of the optical system are not particularly limited as long as they guide the display light of the route guidance image to the image display unit. Further, for example, a CRT type display may be used instead of the liquid crystal displays 7a, 7b, 7c. Further, the number of indicators may be two or four or more. Further, instead of the windshield 5, a dedicated semitransparent display section may be provided. Further, the content of the route guidance image is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, the distance to the destination may be calculated by the control device 12 and displayed together, or the name of the road may be displayed. Alternatively, only the destination may be input to the control device 12 from the input device 12a, and the shortest route calculated by the control device 12 may be displayed as a route guidance image. Further, when the navigation device 3 is a conventionally well-known type having a voice route guidance means, a route guidance image corresponding to the route guidance voice signal may be displayed. Further, ultrasonic sensors for detecting left and right obstacles may be attached to the vehicle and the presence or absence of obstacles may be displayed as a route guidance image.

[0020]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle head-up display device that is small in size, inexpensive, and easy to see.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the vehicle head-up display device of the present invention, the number of image displays is three arranged in parallel on the left and right, and the image displayed by the central image display is arranged in the center of the display section. , The image displayed by the image display device on the left is arranged on the left side of the display unit,
It is preferable that the images displayed by the image display device on the right side are arranged on the right side in the display unit, and that head boxes where the respective displayed images can be visually recognized are provided at different positions. As a result, it is possible to associate the image for route guidance, which can be visually recognized by the driver by moving the head left and right, with the actual scene outside the vehicle, which can be visually recognized by moving the head.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a layout explanatory view of a vehicle head-up display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle head-up display device.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the vehicle head-up display device.

FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory view of the vehicle head-up display device.

FIG. 5 is a general view of a route guidance image by the vehicle head-up display device, (2) shows a central portion, (3) shows a right portion, and (4) shows a left portion. Figure showing the part

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Head-up display device 4 Driver 5 Windshield (image display part) 7a, 7b, 7c Liquid crystal display 8a, 8b, 8c Curved mirror 9a, 9b, 9c Auxiliary curved mirror 15, 16, 17 Route guidance image

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of image displays capable of displaying different route guidance images and display light emitted from the respective image displays in a semi-transparent image display located in front of a driver seated in a driver's seat. A head-up display device for a vehicle, comprising: an optical system that guides a display unit to each other, and positions of display images on the display unit are separated from each other in the left and right directions.