Patent Application
20170148216
The present disclosure relates to see-through displays, such as head-up displays (HUD), for presenting a virtual image to an occupant on a transparent or translucent surface.
Modern vehicles typically include a see-through display, such as a head-up display, in a passenger cabin to communicate information to an operator of the vehicle. The information can include a vehicle condition such as a fuel level or velocity of the vehicle, as well as warning icons, known as tell-tales. Typical head-up displays project an image including the information onto a predetermined area of a display screen adjacent to a windshield or that is part of the windshield. A virtual image is formed that the driver sees projected out over the road or another object on the road outside of the vehicle.
If the outside area over which the image is projected is very bright, however, the head-up display is hard to see. Accordingly, there exists a need for a head-up display that is viewable over a variety of backgrounds, include very bright backgrounds.
The present disclosure provides a see-through display system that adjusts the light transmission through the combiner based on the measured brightness of the background area of the virtual image.
In one variation, which may be combined with or separate from the other variations described herein, a head-up display system is provided that includes an image generator configured to emit a generated image for viewing by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a combiner that is configured to reflect rays of the generated image in a field of view of the occupant to create a virtual image. The combiner has a variable light reflection capability. In addition, or in the alternative, the combiner may have a variable light transmission capability. A light sensor assembly is electrically coupled to the combiner. The light sensor assembly includes a light sensor configured to measure brightness and a light sensor housing having portions configured to partially restrict light from reaching the light sensor. The light sensor housing defines an aperture therethrough to allow some light to reach the light sensor. A controller is configured to interpret the brightness measured by the light sensor and adjust the amount of light transmitted through and/or reflected by the combiner based on the brightness.
In another variation, which may be combined with or separate from the other variations described herein, a head-up display system is provided that includes an image generator configured to emit a generated image for viewing by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a combiner configured to reflect rays of the generated image in a field of view of the occupant to create a virtual image. The combiner has a variable light reflection capability. In addition, or in the alternative, the combiner may have a variable light transmission capability. A light sensor assembly is electrically coupled to the combiner. The light sensor assembly is configured to measure brightness in the field of view and to substantially refrain from measuring brightness outside of the field of view. A controller is configured to interpret the brightness measured by the light sensor and adjust the amount of light reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner based on the brightness.
In yet another variation, which may be combined with or separate from the other variations described herein, a see-through display system is provided that includes an image generator configured to emit a generated image for viewing by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a combiner configured to reflect rays of the generated image in a field of view of the occupant to create a virtual image. The combiner has a variable light reflection and/or transmission capability. A light sensor assembly is electrically coupled to the combiner. The light sensor assembly is configured to measure brightness in the field of view and to substantially refrain from measuring brightness outside of the field of view. A controller is configured to interpret the brightness measured by the light sensor and adjust the amount of light reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner based on the brightness.
In still another variation, which may be combined with or separate from the other variations described herein, a see-through display system is provided that includes an image generator configured to emit a generated image for viewing by a vehicle occupant. A combiner is configured to reflect rays of the generated image in a field of view of the occupant to create a virtual image. The combiner has a variable light reflection and/or transmission capability. A light sensor assembly is electrically coupled to the combiner. The light sensor assembly is configured to measure brightness in the field of view. A controller is configured to interpret the brightness measured by the light sensor and adjust the amount of light reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner based on the brightness. The controller is configured to apply a voltage to the combiner to affect the amount of light that is reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner. The controller is configured to apply the voltage at a first constant level to provide a first level of light reflection and/or transmission through the combiner in a first mode, and the controller is configured to apply the voltage at a second constant level to provide a second level of light reflection and/or transmission through the combiner in a second mode.
Although the different examples have the specific components shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples.
The various features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.
Examples are reflected in the drawings, which will be described below. The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
In the illustrated example, a HUD system 12 is provides information or content to an occupant 14 of the vehicle 10. The HUD system 12 can be positioned, for example, within a passenger cabin 16 of the vehicle 10, and in some examples, in front of a steering wheel 18. The HUD system 12 is operable to display information or context in the form of one or more images or elements of graphics. For instance, the content can include one or more conditions of the vehicle 10, such as fuel level, battery level, odometer readings, velocity or a warning. In other examples, the HUD system 12 is a multimedia device operable to display content in the form of navigational data, imagery, radio data or a menu for interacting with another system of the vehicle 10 or another system located remotely from the vehicle 10. However, other content is contemplated.
The HUD system 12 can be in electrical communication, being wired or wirelessly, with another digital system onboard the vehicle 10, such as a backup guidance camera or a vehicle controller operable to perform various system tasks. In other examples, the head-up display system 12 displays information from a remote system, such as information based on a location of the vehicle 10 including an advertisement provided by a commercial entity. The HUD system 12 can also be a stand-alone system. Other systems may benefit from the teachings herein, including other ground-based systems, aircraft systems, handheld mobile devices and other devices that express, show, and/or present information. In some examples, the HUD system 12 is operable to replicate or mirror the display contents of a computing device such as a mobile device or a smartphone.
The HUD system 12 shows information in the line of sight 20 of the vehicle occupant 14. Thus, the HUD system 12 is operable to project a virtual image 22 in the line of sight 20 of the occupant 14, at a point 24 outside the vehicle, so that that occupant 14 (where the occupant 14 may be the driver) does not need to take his or her eyes off of the road. The virtual image 22 may be projected about two meters in front of the occupant 14, by way of example. Thus, the occupant 14 gets all of the important information such as speed, warning signals, etc., without having to look away from the line of sight 20, and therefore, safety is improved. Such placement of the virtual image 22 at point 24 outside of the vehicle 10 allows for the feeling of an augmented reality, where the virtual image 22 appears to be a part of the driving situation itself. Thus, the point 24 is located a desired distance d from the occupant 14 and at a look-down angle α from the eyes 26 of the occupant 14.
The HUD system 12 includes an image generator 28 configured to emit a generated image for eventual viewing by the vehicle occupant 14 in the form of the virtual image 22. The image generator 28 may include a light source 30 and a display 32 to project the generated image, by way of example. The generated image may be projected to a planar or aspherical fold mirror 34, which reflects rays of the generated image toward a combiner 36. In some variations, the fold minor 34 may be omitted and the image generator 28 may project the image directly to the combiner 36.
The combiner 36 may be provided as a curved see-through minor or plate through which the occupant 14 can see through to the windshield 38 and the road. In other cases, the combiner 36 may be flat, rather than curved. The combiner 36 may be oriented at an angle β with respect to a horizontal center line of the vehicle 10, by way of example, and this angle β may be adjustable in some variations to accommodate the heights of different occupants 14. The combiner 36 is configured to reflect rays of the generated image in a field of view 40 of the occupant 14 to create the virtual image 22. Though the generated image is reflected by the combiner 36 toward the occupant 14, the occupant 14 sees the image as a virtual image 22 that appears to be outside of the vehicle 10 behind the front surface 42 of the combiner 36. The occupant 14 looks through the combiner 36 and the windshield 38 along the line of sight 20 to the see the virtual image 22, which appears to be generated in front of the windshield 38 outside of the vehicle 10. As explained above, in some variations, the combiner 36 may be rotated to accommodate occupants 14 having different heights.
The combiner 36 has a variable light reflection capability. In some variations, the combiner 36 may additionally or alternatively have a variable light transmission capability. In other words, the combiner 36 itself may be adjusted to have varying levels of tint or be transparent, based on adjusting the amount of light reflection by the combiner 36 and/or the light transmission through the combiner 36. Thus, the level of translucency of the combiner 36 may be adjusted from transparent or nearly transparent to nearly opaque. The combiner 36, therefore, may have variable reflection in that it may be adjusted to reflect more or less light. A controller shown schematically at 44 is used to adjust the amount of light that is reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner 36, and/or to tint or change the translucency of the combiner 36.
Referring to
In some variations, such as that shown in
The controller 44 is configured to interpret the brightness measured by the light sensor 48 and adjust the amount of light reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner 36, based on the brightness measured. In some variations, the combiner 36 may comprise electro-chromatic materials, such as an electro-chromatic material layer, that allows the tint or level of translucency of the combiner 36 to be adjusted electronically. Decreasing the light transmission of the combiner 36, and/or increasing the light reflection by the combiner 36, reduces the external brightness visible to the occupant 14.
The controller 44 may apply a voltage to the combiner 36 to affect the amount of light that is reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner 36. Referring to
Referring to
The controller 44 is configured to cause the combiner 36 to provide a first background image based on a first level of light reflection and/or transmission when the brightness equals or exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the controller 44 is configured to cause the combiner 36 to provide a second background image based on a second level of light reflection and/or transmission when the brightness is less than the predetermined threshold, the first background image being darker than the second background image. In other words, the combiner 36 has varying levels of light reflection and/or varying levels of light transmission that can be allowed through it to provide background images having varying levels of darkness. In this example, the greater the voltage level V that is applied, the darker that the combiner 36 will appear. In this example, the voltage V falls and rises in a constant matter without being pulse-width-modulated, or without applying a pulse-width modulated signal.
The controller 44 is configured to interpret the brightness measured by the light sensor 48 and adjust the amount of light reflected by and/or transmitted through the combiner 36, based on the brightness measured. Since the light housing 50 restricts the light measured by the light sensor 48 to light that is substantially in the line of sight 20, in the field of view 40 of the occupant 14, the brightness that is measured by the light sensor 48 is the brightness directly behind the virtual image 22 from the point of view of the occupant 14. Therefore, when the virtual image 22 is displayed over a very bright background, the controller 44 is configured to cause the combiner 36 to reflect more light and/or to transmit less light and provide a dark background for the occupant 14; that way, the occupant 14 will be able to see the virtual image 22, and the virtual image 22 will not be washed out due to the bright background.
For example, referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In
In
As explained above, the light sensor assembly measures the light along the line of sight and/or in the field of view. Thus, in this case, the light sensor assembly 46 will provide a high level of measured brightness to the controller, due to the white truck 80 being in the field of view. Referring now to
The controller 44 may include a processor, a memory and an interface. The processor may, for example only, be any type of known microprocessor having desired performance characteristics. The memory may, for example only, includes UVPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, RAM, ROM, DVD, CD, a hard drive, or other computer readable medium which may store data and the algorithm for operating the light transmission level of the combiner and of the head-up display system 12 as described herein. The interface facilitates communication with the other systems or components of the vehicle 10. In some examples, the controller 44 may be a portion of the vehicle control system, another system, or a stand-alone system.
Although the different examples have a specific component shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples. Also, although particular step sequences are shown, described, and claimed, it should be understood that steps may be performed in any order, separated or combined unless otherwise indicated and will still benefit from the present disclosure.
Furthermore, the foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense. A worker of ordinary skill in the art would understand that certain modifications could come within the scope of this disclosure. For these reasons, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.
