Head-up display with automatic seat-height adjustment

A method of operating a head up display in a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

• producing a light field;
• positioning a mirror to reflect the light field such that the light field is again reflected by a windshield of the motor vehicle and is then visible to a human driver of the motor vehicle as a virtual image when the human driver is sitting in a driver's seat and his eyes are above a first vertical level and below a second vertical level;
• detecting a vertical level of the eyes of the driver;
• automatically moving the driver's seat in a vertical direction dependent upon the detected vertical level of the eyes of the driver to thereby move the driver's eyes to a vertical position above the first vertical level and below the second vertical level;
• and
• detecting a magnitude of upward force on a steering column of the motor vehicle, the automatic moving of the driver's seat being based on the detected magnitude of upward force such that the magnitude of the upward force is maintained below a threshold value.

A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising:

• a head up display configured to produce a virtual image that is by emitting a light field from a picture generation unit such that the light field is reflected off of a mirror and toward a windshield of the motor vehicle and such that the virtual image is visible to a driver of the motor vehicle when he is sitting in a driver's seat and his eyes are above a first vertical level and below a second vertical level;
• means for detecting a vertical level of the eyes of the driver;
• a seat height adjustment module configured to adjust a vertical level of the driver's seat;
• an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the detecting means and to the seat height adjustment module, the electronic controller being configured to control the seat height adjustment module based on the detected vertical level of the eyes of the driver to move the driver's eyes to a vertical position above the first vertical level and below the second vertical level;
• and
• a sensor configured to detect a magnitude of upward force on a steering column of the motor vehicle, the sensor being communicatively coupled to the electronic controller, the electronic controller being configured to control the motorized seat height adjustment module based on a signal from the sensor so that the magnitude of the upward force on the steering column does not exceed a threshold value.