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US 5,037,182 AGranted
Rearview mirror head-up display
AssigneeDelco Electronics Corporation
InventorsDoyle J. Groves, Larry D. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self contained interior rearview mirror unit for a vehicle provides a head-up display image of vehicle information at a distance in front of the vehicle operator.
Claims11
A viewing apparatus for the operator of a motor vehicle comprising:
- a housing mounted within the vehicle forward of the operator defining a cavity having an aperture facing rearward of the operator;
- display apparatus mounted in said cavity and including a display source and projecting means for projecting a primary virtual image of the display source viewable through the aperture by the operator appearing at a distance in front of the operator;
- and
- a partially reflective combiner element mounted in the aperture of said housing so as to combine the projected primary virtual image with a reflected image of a view rearward of the vehicle.
1 more element
A viewing apparatus for the operator of a motor vehicle comprising:
- a housing mounted within the vehicle forward of the operator defining a cavity having an aperture facing rearward of the operator and having a rounded rear portion whereby the vehicle operator's vision of scenery forward of the vehicle is not significantly impaired;
- display apparatus mounted in said cavity and including a display source and projecting means for projecting a primary virtual image of the display source viewable through the aperture by the operator, the projecting means including first and second lenses, the first lens a plano-concave lens projecting a reduced size virtual image of the displayed information and the second lens a plano-convex lens projecting, at a distance behind the second lens, the primary virtual image which is a virtual image of the reduced size virtual image, the display apparatus also including a fold mirror along the optical path between the display source and the second lens;
- and
- an interior rearview mirror mounted in the aperture of the housing, containing a partially mirrored portion allowing the primary virtual image to be seen through the partially mirrored portion, combining the projected virtual image with a reflected image of a view rearward of the vehicle, and positionable for day and night viewing by movement of a lever wherein the lever movement does not affect viewing of the projected image.
1 more element
A viewing apparatus for the operator of a motor vehicle comprising:
- a housing containing an interior rearview mirror mounted within the vehicle forward of the operator defining a cavity having an aperture;
- display apparatus mounted in said cavity and including a display source and projecting means for projecting a virtual image of the display source along an optical path through the aperture;
- and
- a partially reflective combiner element mounted to the housing and combining the projected virtual image with a view forward of the vehicle.
1 more element
A head-up display for a vehicle comprising:
- means for displaying information to be projected;
- means for projecting the information to be viewed as an image along an optical path;
- and
- means for combining the image with separate visual information such that a vehicle operator can view the image without having to significantly adjust eye focus, the displaying means, projecting means, and combining means all packaged within a self-contained interior rearview mirror unit.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.