Back to results
US 5,440,428 AGranted
Automotive instrument 3-D virtual image display
AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorsRonald G. Hegg, Mao-Jin Chern
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorsRonald G. Hegg, Mao-Jin Chern
Estimating the term…
A compact, inexpensive and mass-producible optical display system for an automobile creates a dramatic and highly stylistic, sharp, high contrast and pleasing, multi-color or monochromatic 3-D magnified image of an instrument cluster, at least a portion of the 3-D image being located at a viewing distance greater than the actual optical distance between the dashboard and the driver's eyes. A non-pupil forming display system uses an off-axis aspherical narrow-band reflecting mirror with power to create a magnified virtual image of a miniaturized passive image source, such as a segmented LCD panel, which is backlighted by a small filament incandescent light bulb. A single mirror produces a single monochromatic virtual image, whereas a plurality of stacked and differently curved mirrors, each tuned to different wavelength bandwidth, produces a plurality of spatially separated virtual images of differing colors. The mirrors are holographic optical elements or graded index optical elements. A backlit panel display positioned behind the mirror produces an image with colors outside the bandwidth of that mirror and thereby creates a secondary image of oversized warning indicators or the like visible in front of the virtual image which includes a display of other instruments. A non-planar image source used with the mirror produces a non-planar monochromatic virtual image.
A display system for a vehicle having a display panel mounted within view of an operator's position, said display system comprising a first image source mounted in said vehicle for providing a first image display, a narrow band optical element disposed between said first image source and said operator's position for creating a first color virtual image of said first image display at a first spatial location visible from said operator's position, and a second image source for providing a second image display outside the bandwidth of said narrow band optical element, said second image source being positioned relative to said narrow band optical element to produce a second color image at a second spatial location visible from said operator's position, wherein said narrow band optical element creates said first color virtual image at a location beyond said display panel, wherein said narrow band optical element comprises an aspheric optical element, and further wherein said aspheric optical element comprises an aspheric optical surface shaped to reduce aberrations in said first color virtual image.
A display system for a vehicle having a display panel mounted within view of an operator's position, said display system comprising a non-planar image source mounted in said vehicle for providing a non-planar image display, a reflective mirror disposed between said non-planar image source and said operator's position for creating a non-planar image of said non-planar image source at a location visible from said operator's position.
A display system for a vehicle having a display panel mounted within view of an operator's position, said display system comprising a first image source mounted in said vehicle for providing a first image display, a narrow band optical element disposed between said first image source and said operator's position for creating a first color virtual image of said first image display at a first spatial location visible from said operator's position, and a second image source for providing a second image display outside the bandwidth of said narrow band optical element, said second image source being positioned relative to said narrow band optical element to produce a second color image at a second spatial location visible from said operator's position, wherein said narrow band optical element creates said first color virtual image at a location beyond said display panel, wherein said narrow band optical element comprises an aspheric optical element, and further wherein said aspheric optical element comprises an aspheric optical surface which is shaped to reduce vertical disparity between the eyes of said operator observing said first color virtual image.
A display system for a vehicle having a display panel mounted within view of an operator's position, said display system comprising a first image source mounted in said vehicle for providing a first image display, a narrow band optical element disposed between said first image source and said operator's position for creating a first color virtual image of said first image display at a first spatial location visible from said operator's position, and a second image source for providing a second image display outside the bandwidth of said narrow band optical element, said second image source being positioned relative to said narrow band optical element to produce a second color image at a second spatial location visible from said operator's position, wherein said narrow band optical element creates said first color virtual image at a location beyond said display panel, wherein said narrow band optical element comprises an aspheric optical element, and further wherein said aspheric optical element comprises an aspheric optical surface which is shaped to reduce field curvature in said first color virtual image.
A display system for a vehicle having a display panel mounted within view of an operator's position, said display system comprising a first image source mounted in said vehicle for providing a first image display, a narrow band optical element disposed between said first image source and said operator's position for creating a first color virtual image of said first image display at a first spatial location visible from said operator's position, and a second image source for providing a second image display outside the bandwidth of said narrow band optical element, said second image source being positioned relative to said narrow band optical element to produce a second color image at a second spatial location visible from said operator's position, wherein said narrow band optical element creates said first color virtual image at a location beyond said display panel, wherein said narrow band optical element comprises an aspheric optical element, and further wherein said aspheric optical element comprises an aspheric optical surface which is shaped to reduce optical path length between said first image source and said aspheric optical element.
A display system for a vehicle having a display panel mounted within view of an operator's position, said display system comprising a first image source mounted in said vehicle for providing a first image display, a mirror disposed between said first image source and said operator's position for creating a first color virtual image of said first image display at a first spatial location visible from said operator's position, and a second image source for providing a second image display outside the bandwidth of said mirror, said second image source being positioned relative to said mirror to produce a second color image at a second spatial location visible from said operator's position.
Apparatus as set forth in claim 79, wherein said second color image is located at about the position of said display panel.
Apparatus as set forth in claim 88, wherein said mirror is provided with optical power.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.