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DE-102025108270-B3 - Height extension of an area of a windscreen root display usable for virtual display in black print in a vehicle as well as vehicle

DE102025108270B3DE 102025108270 B3DE102025108270 B3DE 102025108270B3DE-102025108270-B3

Abstract

The invention relates to a field of vision display device for a vehicle, comprising: - an imaging unit for generating a display content in its image-generating surface and a projection light beam transporting this content; - a deflecting optics arranged in its beam path; and - a vehicle window positioned in the user's field of vision with a darkening area in the lower surface section; - wherein the image-generating surface with the deflecting optics extends along the lower edge of the vehicle window directly opposite the darkening area, so that the displayed content reaches the user's eyes via reflection in the darkening area and thus appears to them as a virtual image floating beyond the vehicle window; and - the deflection optics reduce or eliminate a lower part of the darkening area, which would be unusable without the deflection optics due to an installation- and design-related edge distance between the image-generating surface and the vehicle window, by shifting downwards the respective reflection point of the rays of the projection light beam reflected from the vehicle window to the user's eyes, at least in the lower part of the virtual image.

Inventors

  • Michael Arthur Janzer
  • Jasper Stern
  • Tomas Hejda

Assignees

  • BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250305

Claims (10)

  1. A field-of-view display device (1) for installation in a vehicle (3), comprising: - an imaging unit (2) configured to generate a desired display content in its image-generating surface (4) and a projection light beam conveying this content; - a deflecting optic (9) arranged in the beam path of this projection light beam directly on the image-generating surface (4) or at a predetermined distance (D) therefrom; and - a vehicle windscreen (F) arranged in the user's field of vision, with a black or dark printed or tinted darkening area (S) in its lower surface section; - wherein the image-generating surface (4) with the deflecting optic (9) extends along the lower edge of the vehicle windscreen (F) directly opposite its darkening area (S), with the exception of any cover plates or layers without a beam-shaping, deflecting, or imaging effect on the projection light beam; - so that the display content reaches the user's eyes (E) via reflection in the darkening area (S) of the vehicle window (F) and thus appears to him as a virtual image (V) floating beyond the vehicle window (F); and - the deflecting optics (9) are designed to reduce or eliminate a lower part of the darkening area (S), which would be unusable without the deflecting optics (9) due to an edge distance (A) between the image-generating surface (4) and the vehicle window (F) caused by the installation and design, by shifting downwards the respective reflection point of the rays of the projection light beam reflected from the vehicle window (F) to the user's eyes (E), at least in a lower part of the virtual image (V).
  2. Viewing display device (1) according to Claim 1 , in which - the deflecting optics (9) comprises at least one prism which tapers towards the root of the vehicle disc in a section plane orthogonal to the vehicle disc root.
  3. Viewing display device (1) according to Claim 2 , wherein - the at least one prism is a single solid prism which preferably extends over the entire image-generating surface (4), in particular with one of its planar prism faces (10) parallel to it.
  4. Viewing display device (1) according to Claim 2 , wherein - the at least one prism is a one- or two-dimensional prism array consisting of several prisms that follow one another along the image-generating surface (4) in the direction towards the vehicle disc (F) and/or are arranged in a row along the root of the vehicle disc and each taper towards the vehicle disc (F) in a section plane orthogonal to the root of the vehicle disc; - wherein the prism array is preferably designed as a prism film or as a prism plate, the upper surface (14) of which facing the vehicle disc (F) is planar and the lower surface of which facing the image-generating surface (4) has a sawtooth profile in the said section plane.
  5. Viewing display device (1) according to Claim 1 , wherein - the deflecting optics (9) comprises at least one solid refractive element with a lower side surface facing the image-generating surface (4) and an upper side surface facing away from the image-generating surface (4); - whose cross-section taken orthogonally to the vehicle disc root remains constant along the vehicle disc root and tapers towards the vehicle disc root; and - whose longitudinal edges, which limit its lower and upper side surfaces along the vehicle disc root, have the same curvature as the vehicle disc root.
  6. Viewing display device (1) according to Claim 1 , in which - the deflecting optics (9) comprises a lens which tapers towards the vehicle disc root in its section near the disc root in a section plane orthogonal to the vehicle disc root.
  7. Viewing display device (1) according to Claim 6 , in which the lens in question tapers away from the vehicle's windscreen root in a section far from the windscreen root.
  8. Viewing field display device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - a light-refracting surface (11) of the enclosing The optics (9), which leads to the aforementioned downward displacement of the respective reflection point on the front window (F), has a predetermined minimum distance from the image-generating surface (4) in its normal direction.
  9. Viewing display device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the deflecting optics (9) has a circular polarizer (15) on its upper surface (14) facing the vehicle windscreen (F) and/or the user, the circular polarizer being composed of a λ/4 retarder facing the imaging unit (2) and a linear polarizer facing the vehicle windscreen (F) and/or the user; and - the imaging unit (2) is preferably designed to output the projection light beam with such a circular polarization that, after passing through the λ/4 retarder, it has a linear polarization transmitted by the linear polarizer.
  10. A vehicle (3) with mutually perpendicular longitudinal, transverse, and vertical directions (X, Y, Z) of a vehicle-specific Cartesian coordinate system (K), in particular a motor vehicle, comprising: - a passenger compartment; and - at least one field-of-view display device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, the associated vehicle windscreen (F) of which at least partially delimits the passenger compartment to the outside and the imaging unit (2) of which is arranged in the passenger compartment such that its image-generating surface (4) with the deflecting optics (9) extends at the lower edge of this vehicle windscreen (F) directly opposite its darkening area (S); - wherein said vehicle windscreen is preferably a windscreen (F) which is delimited to the left and right in the transverse direction (Y) of the vehicle (3) by an A-pillar of the vehicle (3); the vehicle (3) has an instrument panel arranged below the windscreen (F); and the image generation surface (4) with the deflecting optics (9) are arranged in or under a top surface of the instrument panel such that the windscreen (F) serves, at least with a large part of its extent in the transverse direction of the vehicle (Y), for the virtual image display of the field of view indicator device (1).

Description

The invention relates to a field-of-view display device for installation in a vehicle, designed to project virtual images into the user's field of vision via reflection off a vehicle windshield. Such devices are also known as head-up displays (HUDs). The invention also relates to a vehicle equipped with such a device, which may be a motor vehicle or another land, air, or watercraft. A head-up display (HUD) can project speed information and other useful navigation, warning, and vehicle operating instructions, or entertainment content, onto the windshield for the occupants of a vehicle. A simplified HUD design is known for creating large-area or panoramic virtual displays, which is used in... 1 This is shown schematically. In this HUD 100, the imaging unit 200 (for example, a display) is positioned at the lower edge of the vehicle's windshield F 300 without any additional projection optics such as mirrors, etc. This HUD design is therefore also referred to as a "windshield root display" 100. It is in 1 The image is shown in a vertical longitudinal section taken along the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle 300. The image generated in the image-generating surface 400 of the imaging unit 200 is reflected directly in the windshield F and thus reaches the eyes E of the occupants. Consequently, a virtual image V appears to each occupant at a distance that results from the sum of the optical path lengths from the image-generating surface 400 to the windshield F and from there to their eyes E. The projection light beam that reaches the occupant's eyes E is in 1 only indicated by its marginal rays - the lower marginal ray 700 and the upper marginal ray 800. A virtual display of this type can achieve high contrast in a so-called "black print area" S of the windshield F, which may be located below its legally required transparent area T. This is achieved, for example, by tinting this area or applying an opaque black print between the individual panes of a laminated windshield F, thus forming a dark background for the virtual image V. The maximum achievable height H of such a high-contrast display depends primarily on the position of the lower boundary of the legally required transparent area T, the height of the underlying black print area S, and the position of the imaging unit 200 relative to the windshield F. The resulting display height is severely limited, especially in low-profile vehicles. This is in 1 This is further illustrated in an enlarged section 500. To achieve the maximum possible display height H in the black print area S, the image-generating surface 400 of the imaging unit 200 would have to be positioned as close as possible to the base of the front glass F in order to extend the virtual image V downwards as much as possible from the viewer's perspective. However, a mounting and design-related edge distance A always remains between the image-generating surface 400 and the front glass F, resulting in an unusable strip 600 in the lower part of the black print area S. For example, an imaging unit 200 designed as a display always has a predetermined technical border R around its display area (image-generating surface 400), which can vary in width depending on the display technology and prevents the display area from directly abutting the base of the front glass F. The object of the present invention is to provide an alternative and/or improved field-of-view display device for installation in a vehicle, which in particular enables a virtual display with high contrast and the largest possible area. This problem is solved by a field-of-view display device according to claim 1 and a vehicle equipped therewith according to the dependent claim. Further embodiments are specified in the dependent claims. All further features and effects mentioned in the claims and the following description for the field-of-view display device also apply to the vehicle, and vice versa. According to a first aspect, a field-of-view display device is intended for installation in a vehicle. It can, for example, be designed as a head-up display (HUD). The vehicle can be a motor vehicle, but also any other land, air, or watercraft. The vehicle has a passenger compartment and a vehicle window that at least partially delimits it externally. The vehicle window can, for example, be a windshield with an instrument panel located below it, or a rear window with a parcel shelf located below it, which delimits the passenger compartment longitudinally forwards or backwards. All spatial orientation terms used herein, such as "horizontal,""vertical,""above,""below,""underneath,""above,""front,""back,""left,""right," etc., refer, unless otherwise stated, to the usual vehicle. fixed Cartesian coordinate system with mutually perpendicular longitudinal, transverse and vertical directions of the vehicle in which the view indicator device presented herein is to be installed or is already installed. The field-of-view display device comprises a picture