The present disclosure relates generally to the field of head up displays (HUDs). More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a HUD with improved resistance to sunload for use in a vehicle.
This application claims priority to United States Utility Provisional Application Number 63/357,900, filed on Jul. 1, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
The use of a head up display (HUD) in vehicles is known in the prior art. A HUD is a means of projecting an image directly into a user's visual field in such a way as to overlap a background scene without interfering with the user's view of the background scene. In automobiles, this generally means that information contained in the image is projected onto a portion of a vehicle's windshield in a semi-transparent manner so that a vehicle driver can quickly and easily acquire information such as, but not limited to, speed, navigation assistance, engine performance, and operating conditions, without directing the driver's attention away from the road.
Generally, HUDs utilize an image generating device and a set of lenses to generate a backlight image on a liquid crystal display (LCD). The backlight is then reflected off or transmitted through a plurality of lenses and/or mirrors to define a magnified image on a windshield or other comparable reflective surface. As HUDs have become more prevalent, consumers have demanded larger fields of view and larger image distances in the HUDs. One way to achieve these image distances and field of view requirements is to magnify the image projected on the windshield to at least fifteen times the image on the LCD.
However, under certain solar configurations, sunlight may travel down a path retrograde to that traveled by light from the image generating device. Based on the position of the sun and the vehicle, sunlight may reflect or transmit off or through the plurality of mirrors and/or lenses to focus on the LCD. Heat from the sunlight can then damage the LCD. Experimental results have shown that an increase of LCD surface temperature to greater than 117° C. (or 242.6° F.) can lead to temporary or permanent degradation of function of the LCD. Magnification of sunlight as it is reflected retrograde down the HUD image pathway make it more likely that an LCD surface temperature will rise to these levels, and thus image magnification makes the LCD more susceptible to this type of damage.
Accordingly, there is an unmet need for a HUD utilizing LCD technology with improved resistance to heat from sunlight that resolves the foregoing problems in the prior art.
The present disclosure provides for an improved head-up display (HUD) for use in a vehicle, comprising a liquid crystal display (LCD) wherein the design provides greater protection from damage to the LCD caused by heat from sunlight. The present disclosure preferably includes an image generating device, an LCD assembly, an optical bonding assembly, and a fold mirror.
In a preferred embodiment, the image generating device comprises a light emitting diode (LED) array and a heat sink.
The LCD assembly preferably comprises an LCD and a hot mirror glass with a front side and a back side, where a hot mirror coating covers the front side of the hot mirror glass, and a polarized film covers the back side of the hot mirror glass. The hot mirror coating reflects infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths of light away from the LCD, and the polarized film cuts p-polarized light from the sunlight. Incoming sunlight is unpolarized, which means that is an incoherent combination of linearly or circularly polarized light, and thus has a random, time dependent and rapidly shifting polarization. By removing one field of polarization, i.e., by filtering out the p-polarized energy, the polarized film cuts the total amount of thermal energy conveyed by sunlight in half.
In a preferred embodiment, the optical bonding assembly comprises an optical bonding adhesive to bond an optical bonding (“OB”) glass sheet to the back side of the LCD. This OB glass sheet is preferably laminated with a cold mirror film (CMF) which further polarizes the light and cuts p-polarized light. Altogether, the optical bonding assembly increases the specific heat of the LCD and facilitates a reduction in temperature increase due to sunlight.
Preferred embodiments also include a fold mirror between the LCD and the windshield. A cold mirror coating is preferably applied to the fold mirror, which reflects only visible spectrum light towards the LCD.
Taken together, the cold mirror coating on the fold mirror, the hot mirror coating and polarized film on the LCD, and the optical bonding assembly with CMF bonded to the LCD reduce the amount of heat transmitted to the LCD via sunlight. Moreover, upon starting a vehicle, air conditioning takes an average of three minutes to reduce HUD temperatures to a normal temperature, preferably around 25 degrees Celsius, at which point the risk of damage to the LCD is low. The addition of the countermeasures disclosed herein increases the amount of time required for sunlight to heat the LCD surface to 117° C. to over four minutes, thereby reducing the risk of LCD damage due to the intensity of sunlight, or sunload.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises:
A head up display (HUD) with improved resistance to sunload for use in a vehicle, the HUD comprising:
a liquid crystal display (LCD) assembly;
an optical bonding assembly; and
an image generating device;
wherein the LCD assembly comprises an LCD and a hot mirror glass;
wherein the hot mirror glass comprises a hot mirror coating and a polarized film; and
wherein the optical bonding assembly comprises an optical bonding (OB) glass sheet bonded to the LCD, and a cold mirror film (CMF).
The invention will be more fully understood by referring to the following Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments in conjunction with the Drawings, of which:
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a head up display (HUD) with improved resistance to sunload for use in a vehicle. The present disclosure describes, in detail, specific embodiments with the understanding that the present invention may be susceptible to embodiments in different forms, and that the present disclosure is considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that described herein.
As generally shown in
However,
The present disclosure provides a HUD 40 with improved resistance to sunlight intensity, or sunload, in accordance with embodiments of the current disclosure.
As shown in
As further shown in
To protect the LCD 58 when the vehicle is off and parked in direct sunlight, the HUD 40 is preferably enclosed within a structural casing that hides components of the HUD 40 from exposure to direct sunlight. Furthermore, the concave mirror 46 preferably rotates when the HUD 40 is powered off, thereby preventing sunlight from being reflected towards the LCD 58.
As further shown in
In a preferred embodiment the polarized film 66 can endure for long periods of time under high temperature conditions while maintaining its preferred function. A preferred polarized film 66 is manufactured under the ProFlux™ by Moxtek Inc., in Utah, which is formed of an aluminum film with fine slits upon a glass wafer. However, other polarized films that polarize light based reflections may be used, such as an automatic reflective polarizer manufactured under the 3M™ in Minnesota.
The optical bonding adhesive 72 may define an optically clear resin (OCR dispensed resin). Alternatively, the optical bonding adhesive 72 may define an optically clear adhesive (OCA) applied sheet. However, other optical bonding adhesives and methods known in to those skilled in the art are anticipated by this disclosure. The OB glass sheet 74 may define a width of 30-40 mm and a length of 70-90 mm wide. In a preferred embodiment, the OB glass sheet 74 is 81.38 mm by 36.91 mm to correspond with a 3.54-inch LCD 58.
Taken together, the optical bonding assembly 70 and the LCD assembly 60 increase the specific heat of the LCD 58 and reduce temperature rise from sunlight 44. In a preferred embodiment, the LCD 58 is a thin-film transistor, or TFT. TFT LCDs have a preferred pixel pitch, with small gaps between pixels, leading to smooth images without aliasing. This results in an LCD 58 that has a high resolution with good contrast. However, in some embodiments the LCD 58 may instead define a vacuum florescence display (VFD) or other type of LCD display.
To optimize heat reduction while facilitating transition and magnification of the backlight image, the optical bonding assembly 70 is adhered to the LCD 58 between the LCD 58 and the image generating device 80. In some embodiments the optical bonding assembly 70 is 40-100 mm from the image generating device 80. In a preferred embodiment, the optical bonding assembly 70 is 60 mm from the image generating device 80.
The LCD assembly 60 is preferably positioned between the optical bonding assembly 70 and the fold mirror 48. In a preferred embodiment the hot mirror coating 62 covers the front side 64a of the hot mirror glass 64, and the polarized film 66 covers the back side 64b of the hot mirror glass 64, such that the polarized film 66 lies flush with the LCD 58 on one side, and the hot mirror glass 64 on the other. In this configuration, the front side 64a of the hot mirror glass 64, upon which the hot mirror coating 62 is adhered, is facing the fold mirror 48 such that the hot mirror coating 62 is between the hot mirror glass 64 and the fold mirror 48. In some embodiments, the LCD assembly 60 is 50-150 mm from the fold mirror 48. In a preferred embodiment the LCD assembly 60 is 98 mm from the fold mirror 48. However, other orientations of the LCD assembly are anticipated by this disclosure.
In some embodiments the fold mirror 48 is a flat mirror. In other embodiments the fold mirror 48 is an aspheric mirror. Other mirror curvatures are also envisioned by the current disclosure.
In addition to reducing heat from sunlight 44, the OB glass sheet 74 and CMF 76 also provide a reduction in an internal HUD heat generation. Generally, the image generating device 80 in LCD based HUDs generates a not-inconsequential amount of heat, reducing a total sun endurance time of the LCD 58. Utilization of the glass sheet 74 and the CMF 76 reduces the heat generated by the image generating device 80, thereby increasing the total endurance time of the LCD 58.
With the addition of the cold mirror coating 50 on the fold mirror 48, the hot mirror coating 62 and polarized film 66 on the LCD assembly 60, and the OB glass sheet 74 and CMF 76 of the optical bonding assembly 70 (collectively the “design countermeasures”), the amount of time that it takes for sunlight 44 to heat up the LCD 58 to a damaging temperature is increased. Experimental results indicate that a surface temperature of 117° C. can cause temporary or permanent degradation of LCD 58 function. A preferred embodiment utilizing the design countermeasures as set forth in the current disclosure reduces the total energy of sunlight that reaches the LCD 58 by 75.4%.
While the invention is described through the above-described exemplary embodiments, modifications to, and variations of, the illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. For example, although specific parameter values, such as dimensions, materials, additives and coatings, may be recited in relation to disclosed embodiments, within the scope of the invention, the values of all parameters may vary over wide ranges to suit different applications.
As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” used in connection with a list of items, means one or more of the items in the list, i.e., at least one of the items in the list, but not necessarily all the items in the list. As used herein, including in the claims, the term “or,” used in connection with a list of items, means one or more of the items in the list, i.e., at least one of the items in the list, but not necessarily all the items in the list. “Or” does not mean “exclusive or.”
Although aspects of embodiments may be described with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams, functions, operations, decisions, etc. of all or a portion of each block, or a combination of blocks, may be combined, separated into separate operations or performed in other orders.
Disclosed aspects, or portions thereof, may be combined in ways not listed above and/or not explicitly claimed. In addition, embodiments disclosed herein may be suitably practiced, absent any element that is not specifically disclosed herein. Accordingly, the invention should not be viewed as being limited to the disclosed embodiments.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63357900 | Jul 2022 | US |