The present invention relates to a Head-Up Display (HUD) system with reduced reflection, which comprises an image display device and a reflecting element which are fixed and angled relative to each other, the image display device being adapted to generate imaging light cones radiating from points of an image generated thereby and reflected from the reflecting element, which imaging light cones have their axes pointing towards a designed detection point after reflection from the reflecting element, and wherein the imaging light cones illuminate a designed detection area in a plane passing through the detection point.
The invention also relates to a method of reducing the reflection of a HUD system.
The HUD was originally developed for the military with the aim of keeping the pilot watching the route and not having to look in any other direction. In contrast, with a traditional head-down display (HDD), one must look regularly at the dashboard and focus suddenly close after looking into the distance, which can be tiring. The head-up display also solves the problem of having to focus close by making a distant image plane. Originally military technology, it has now also appeared in the automotive industry and became available to civilian users. By projecting an image onto a reflective element, in other words combiner (such as a special windscreen or a special plate specially equipped for this purpose), the driver is able to obtain information while driving about speed, navigation, radio settings, error messages and other driving information which he or she would normally have to find by looking at the dashboard. In addition, dangerous situations (e.g. roadblocks, road bends in poor visibility conditions, pedestrians stepping off sidewalks, etc.) can also be visually predicted. Currently, the HUD system is found mainly in luxury cars, but the range of applications is expanding rapidly.
The most common HUD solution installed in a vehicle (see
To overcome these drawbacks, HUD systems have started to use direction-selective screens instead of mirrors and large optical aids (
We have recognized that all of the above-mentioned solutions, but especially HUD systems with directional-selective flat screens, have a problem with the reflection of ambient light (e.g. sunlight, street lights, etc.) from the display device back into the driver's eyes. Such reflections can significantly degrade the user experience. In addition, sunlight on the image display device may cause the device to heat up and, in some cases, malfunction.
We have also recognized that only those light cones generated by the image display device whose axes, after reflection from the reflecting element, point in the direction of the designed detection point, and which illuminate the designed detection region, the eye-box, in the plane passing through the detection point, are involved in the imaging. In contrast, the axes of the light beams responsible for the reflection, which are reflected from the imaging device (hereinafter referred to as ‘reflection light cones’), are randomly oriented at typically different angles to the axes of the imaging cones.
The invention is based on the recognition that a suitably designed direction-selective light filter arranged in the light path between the image display device and the reflecting element can be used to substantially reduce the light radiation incident on the surface of the image display device and to block the light rays reflected from the surface of the image display device without blocking the imaging light rays emitted by the image display device. In this way, distracting reflections of ambient light can be significantly reduced, the contrast ratio of the image produced by the HUD system can be increased and the heating of the image display device can be reduced.
We have also recognized that for flat-screen HUD systems, it is advantageous to arrange the screen and the reflective element relative to each other in such a way that the axes of the imaging light cones are nowhere perpendicular to the screen plane, but exit at a different angle Q. Thus, if the direction-selective light filter is of the proper height, ambient light cannot be reflected from the screen at any angle of incidence, i.e. the direction-selective filter and the screen together form a complete light barrier against disturbing ambient light.
We have also recognized that such a direction-selective light filter can be created, for example, from a “black” material with high light absorption and a microscopically rough surface by forming a plurality of light guiding channels in the direction-selective light filter, the channels are sized and oriented in accordance with the imaging light cones, such that the channels do not obstruct the imaging light cones entering them, but block the reflection light cones reflecting from the image display device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method which is free from the disadvantages of the prior art. The object of the invention is to improve the image quality and contrast ratio of the current HUD systems, in particular to reduce the reflection from the image display device, and to reduce the heating of the image display device.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by a HUD system according to claim 1, which comprises an image display device and a reflecting element fixed and arranged at an angle thereto. The image display device being adapted to generate imaging light cones radiating from points of an image generated thereby and reflected from the reflecting element, which imaging light cones have their axes pointing towards a designed detection point after reflection from the reflecting element, and wherein the imaging light cones illuminate a designed detection area in a plane passing through the detection point. A direction-selective light filter is arranged in the light path between the image display device and the reflecting element.
According to the essence of the invention, in the direction-selective light filter, a plurality of light guiding channels passing through the direction-selective light filter are arranged such that each of the channels is configured to substantially pass imaging light cones entering the respective channel, and to substantially block reflection light cones reflected by the image display device towards the reflecting element, which have axes at different angles to the axes of the imaging cones.
The object is further achieved by a method of reducing the reflection of a HUD system according to claim 13. Some preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims. Further details of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings:
The term image display device 1 is to be construed broadly and includes, for example, an optical system with mirror 1a and projector 1b shown in
By default, the pixels of the image display device 1 emit light cones in different directions. However, only those light cones whose axes T, after reflection from the reflecting element 3, point in the direction of a designed detection point 23a of the HUD system 100 and which illuminate a designed detection area 23 (eye-box) intersecting the plane passing through the detection point 23a, are essentially involved in the creation of the image to be displayed by the HUD system 100. In other words, only these light cones reach the hypothetical user viewing from point 23a. These light cones are referred to hereafter as imaging light cones 11. Thus, the image display device 1 according to the invention is configured to generate imaging light cones 11 emanating from the points of the image generated by the device 1 and reflecting from the reflecting element 3. In the particularly preferred embodiment shown in
In the context of the present description, the designed detection area 23 is a range of spatial positions from which the user is expected to view the image generated by the HUD system, so it is a design parameter. Accordingly, the location and size of the designed detection area 23 depends on the environment of the HUD system 100. For example, for a HUD system 100 designed for a particular type of vehicle, the designed detection area 23 will depend on the relative positions of the driver's seat and the windshield. In practice, for example, the position of the eyes of users (drivers) of different heights when they are seated in the driver's seat in the driving position (i.e., when the seat height and distance are adjusted to allow comfortable driving) may be determined. The designed detection area 23 may be considered to be a spatial range that includes determined eye positions, and for example, the center of the designed detection area 23 may be considered to be the designed detection point 23a. It is also possible to define only the designed detection point 23a, for example, the middle of a section connecting the eyes of an average sized user sitting in the driving position in the driver's seat is considered to be the designed detection point 23a. Another possibility is to define the designed detection point 23a for a given user in a similar way.
The system 100 according to the invention comprises a direction-selective light filter 20 arranged in a light path between the image display device 1 and the reflecting element 3, in which direction-selective light filter 20 a plurality of light guiding channels 22 through the direction-selective light filter 20 is formed. In the context of the present invention, the light filter 20 is understood to be an optical element that is opaque to light and through which light can pass only through the channels 22 formed therein. The direction-selective light filter 20 may be formed, for example, from a microscopically rough material such as a black-colored polymer, preferably black-colored polyamide. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the light filter 20 is at least configured to absorb light rays incident on its surface 20a opposite the image display device 1. Another surface 20b of the light filter 20 facing the image display device 1 may also be configured to absorb light rays. Such light absorption may be achieved, for example, by coating the surface 20a with a light absorbing material (e.g., a paint called Vantablack™ available from the company Surrey NanoSystems) and/or by microstructuring the surface 20a with lasers or by chemical etching accordingly, as is known to the skilled person. Preferably, the light filter 20 is dimensioned to obscure the image display device 1 (e.g., the screen 2) over its entire surface area when viewed from the designed detection area 23.
The light guiding channels 22 according to the invention pass through the light filter 20, providing a passage for light between the two opposite side surfaces 20a, 20b of the light filter 20, as can be shown in
In view of the above, the channels 22 can be designed in a manner obvious to a person skilled in the art, knowing the parameters of the light cones 11 (e.g. the directions of the axes T, the opening angle of the light cones 11). For example, in the preferred embodiment shown in
d≥h·tan(α+0)
where θ is an angle between the axis T of the imaging light cone 11 passing through the given channel 22 (e.g. in the middle of its cross-section) and the reflecting element 3, and a is the angle between the screen 2 and the reflecting element 3. It can be seen that in this embodiment, light incident perpendicular to the surface 20a cannot pass through the channel 22.
Since the cross-section of the light cones 11 increases as the distance from the image display device 1 increases, it is preferred to position the light filter 20 as close as possible to the image display device 1 for a given channel 22 diameter in order to achieve better light transmission. In a preferred embodiment, the direction-selective light filter 20 is therefore fixed to the surface of the screen 2. Of course, the light filter 20 may be arranged further away from the screen 2, but preferably the distance between the light filter 20 and the screen 2 is at most a few mm. It is noted that the light filter 20 typically has a flat surface, but in some cases (e.g. in the case of a system 100 with curved screen 2) a curved light filter 20 (e.g. following the curve of the screens 2) may be used.
Some of the light cones 11 emitted by the image display device 1 are blocked by channel walls 24 separating 22 channels 22, so to improve transmission it is preferred to use as thin channel walls 24 as possible. In determining the wall thicknesses, mechanical stability must be considered, whereby the light filter 20 will not collapse and will withstand the mechanical effects of normal use of the system 100.
In one embodiment, the light guiding channels 22 are arranged in the light filter 20 such that the period distance p defined by the width h and wall thickness w of the channels 22 is at most one fifth the pixel size of the screen 2. In other embodiments the period distance p of the channels 22 is at least five times the pixel size of the screen 2. In this way, periodic intensity variations caused by the moiré effect are avoided. For example, the pixel size of a typical widescreen display 2 is 200 μm. The period distance p is therefore in this case preferably greater than 1 mm or less than 40 μm.
The invention also relates to a method of reducing the reflection of a HUD system 100, the HUD system 100 comprising image display device 1 as described above and reflective element 3 fixed relative thereto.
In the method, imaging light cones 11 are generated from the points (pixels) of the image generated by the image display device 1. The axes T of the imaging light cones 11 are such that the light cones 11 are reflected from the reflecting element 3 and point in the direction of the designed detection point 23a. That is, the position of the axes T is determined by the relative positions of the image display device 1, the reflecting element 3 and the designed detection point 23a, and by the shape of the image display device 1 and the reflecting element 3, taking into account the rules of reflection. The light emission of the image display device 1 (the opening angles of the light cones 11 and the shape of their cross-section) is designed such that the emitted light cones 11 illuminate the designed detection 23 area just intersecting the plane passing through the detection point 23a. In a possible embodiment, the opening angle of the light cones 11 along the shorter side of the screen 2 is Δα, while along the longer side of the screen 2 it is Δβ. Thus, the light cones 11 emitted by the different pixels of the screen 2 intersect at point 23a, where they illuminate an area of the same height A≅L·Δα and width B≅L·Δβ (where L is the distance between screen 2 and point 23a, measured along the light cones 11 reflected by the reflecting element 3). The area 23 will therefore be an area of height A and width B in this embodiment.
In the next step of the method, the propagation of reflection light cones 12 having an axis D with a different angle with respect to the axes T of the light cones 11 which are reflected from the image display device 1 in the direction of the reflecting element 3, is blocked in the light path between the image display device 1 and the reflecting element 3, by means of the direction-selective light filter 20 according to the invention described above. In one possible embodiment, the inclination angles of the light guiding channels 22 of the direction-selective light filter 20, corresponding to the axes T of the light cones 11, are determined by numerical modelling based on inverse ray tracing, as is known to the skilled person.
Various modifications to the above disclosed embodiment will be apparent to a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection determined by the attached claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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P2100167 | Apr 2021 | HU | national |
This application is a continuation-in-part U.S. National Stage of PCT/HU2022/050034, filed Apr. 21, 2022, which claims priority to Hungarian Patent No. P2100167 filed Apr. 22, 2021, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/HU2022/050034 | 4/21/2022 | WO |