GB2248335A

GB2248335A - Display unit for a vehicle.

Info

Publication number: GB2248335A
Application number: GB9117014A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yasuyoshi Ota; Tadashi Iino; Hiroshi Ichikawa
Original assignee: Yazaki Corp
Current assignee: Yazaki Corp
Priority date: 1990-08-07
Filing date: 1991-08-07
Publication date: 1992-04-01
Anticipated expiration: 2011-08-07
Also published as: GB2248335B; GB9117014D0; JP2546188Y2; DE4126148A1; JPH0441414U; DE4126148C2

Description

-- - 1- 1 DISPLAY UNIT FOR VEHICLE This invention relates to a vehicle

display unit in which the image of an indicator mounted on the dashboard is

reflected from the windshield, near the field of vision of the driver to provide information, such as the vehicle speed, to the driver.

A conventional vehicle display unit of this type, as shown in Figure 5 (corresponding to Japanese Kokai No.

14126/1986, has an indicator 10 for indicating, for example, vehicle speed, installed on the dashboard 20 near the windshield glass 30, and a half mirror 50 bonded to the inner surface of the windshield glass 30 is located below the rear edge of the f ront hood 40. Thus, the image of the indicator 10 is reflected towards the driver by the half mirror 50. A ceramic coating 60 is f ormed on the outer surface of the windshield glass 30 to cover the half mirror 50.

With this conventional vehicle display unit, the driver can observe the image of the indicator 10 in the vicinity of the field of vision of the windshield glass 30, so that the driver can visually detect driving information, such as the vehicle speed, without substantially shifting his line of sight. Thus, the vehicle display unit provides a so-called "head-up display". Additionally, the background of the indicator image is made dark by a ceramic coating 60, and thus the image has a high contrast, i.e., it can be observed accurately.

However, the above-described vehicle display unit is disadvantageous for a number of reasons. First, to increase the contrast of the image, the conventional vehicle display unit has a ceramic coating formed on the windshield glass. This ceramic coating must, be formed during the manufacture of the windshield glass, and thus additional labor and time is required to manufacture the windshield glass. As a result, the windshield glass has a high cost.

2 Additionally, the dimensions of the ceramic coating formed on the windshield glass are determined according to the amount of driving data to be indicated (i.e., an indication area), whereas the inclination of the inner surface of the windshield glass and the position of the indicator depend on the design specifications of the given vehicle. Thus, the indicator position is limited by the position of the driver's line of sight. Hence, the conventional vehicle display unit design has a low degree of freedom.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle display unit which provides an indicator image having a high contrast near the field of vision of the windshield glass which corresponds to the boundary between the windshield and the dashboard, which can be easily manufactured and installed, and the design of which has a high degree of freedom.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention have been achieved by a vehicle display unit in which the image of an indicator disposed on a vehicle dashboard with an indicating surface thereof facing upwardly, is reflected near the boundary between the windshield and the dashboard in the field of vision of the windshield towards the vehicle driver. According to the invention, a reflecting member having a dark reflecting surface is positioned near the boundary between the windshield glass and the dashboard, and is inclined towards the driver so that its surface reflects an indicator image from the indicator towards the vehicle driver.

In the inventive display unit, the reflecting member is a separate component from the windshield glass. Therefore, it is unnecessary to form a dark coating on the windshield by directly processing the windshield glass. Furthermore, the angle of the reflecting surface can be set irrespectively of the inclination angle of the windshield.

In the accompanying drawings:- 3 Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a f irst embodiment of a vehicle display unit according to the invention; Figure 2 is an second embodiment of according to the invention; explanatory diagram showing a the vehicle display unit Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a third embodiment of the vehicle display unit according to the invention; Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram which illustrates the difficulties accompanying a conventional vehicle display unit; and Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional vehicle display unit in which the image or an indicator appears in the vicinity of the field of vision of the windshield.

Preferred embodiments of this invention will be described with reference to Figures 1-4, in which parts corresponding functionally to those which have been described above with reference to Figure 5 are designated by the same reference numerals or characters.

As shown in Figure 1, a self-light-emission type indicator I indicates driving information such as vehicle speed and the like. A reflecting plate 2 (or a reflector) composed of transparent acrylic resin reflects an image from the indicator 1 along a line of sight 3 of the driver in the driver's seat.

The indicator I is installed inside the dashboard 20 near the boundary between the windshield glass 30 and the dashboard 20 so that the surface of the indicator 1 is confronted through an opening 20a formed in the dashboard 20 with the reflecting plate 2. The plate 2 is bonded to the inner surface of the windshield glass 30, and is located below the rear edge of the front hood 40. A black coating 2a is formed on the surface of the reflecting plate 2 facing the windshield glass 30 (e.g., contacts the windshield 30), whereas the surface 2b of the reflecting 4 plate 2 facing the driver is smooth. The reflecting plate 2 is bonded to the windshield 30 so that the black coating 2a is sandwiched between the windshield 30 and the reflecting plate 2.

With the vehicle display unit thus arranged, the display light beam from the indicator 1 is reflected by the surf ace 2b of plate 2 to the line of sight 3 of the driver. When the windshield 30 is observed from the line of sight 3, the image of the indicator indicating the vehicle speed or the like, can be read in the reflecting surface 2b near the field of vision of the windshield 30. The reflecting plate 2 is composed of transparent acrylic resin as described above, and the reflecting surface 2b is semitransparent. The observed indicator image has a high contrast due to the dark background f ormed by the black coating 2a.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment in which a selflight-emission type indicator 4 indicates a plurality of different types of driving information such as the vehicle speed and warning signals. A prism 5 has a triangular cross-section and is made of transparent acrylic resin. A fire wall 6 of the vehicle is positioned below the hood and windshield.

The indicator 4 is installed inside the dashboard 20 with its indicating surface positioned upwardly. The prism 5 has a first interface on the side facing the driver's seat, and a second interface on the side facing the windshield glass 30. The first and second interfaces form an angle Ox, which is determined according to the positional relationship between the indicator 4 and the line of sight 3 of the vehicle driver, and to the inclination of the windshield 30. A black coating 5a. is formed on the second interface of the prism 5, and the first interface is a smooth reflecting surface 5b. The prism 5 is bonded to the windshield 30 with the black coating 5a sandwiched between the windshield 30 and the prism 5.

With the vehicle display unit thus arranged, the display light beam from the indicator 4 is reflected by the reflecting surface 5b of the prism 5 to the line of sight 3 of the driver. Similarly to the first embodiment, when the windshield Glass 30 is observed from the line of sight 3, the image of the indicator indicating driving information can be read in the reflecting surface 5b near the field of vision of the windshield glass 30. Since the prism 5 is made of transparent acrylic resin, the indicator image observed through the reflecting surface 5b has a high contrast due to the dark background formed by the black coating 5a.

In the above-described vehicle display unit, the indicator may be relatively large to indicate a plurality of different types of driving information. However, if the conventional vehicle display unit described in Figure 5 employs such a large indicator, then the following problems result. For example, when a large indicator 101, as shown in Figure 4, is positioned so that the half mirror 50 satisfies the reflecting condition with the positional relationship between the windshield 30 and the line of sight 3 taken into account, the vehicle's fire wall 6, for example, may obstruct the installation of the large indicator 10 1. If the indicator 10, is set at another position to eliminate this difficulty, then the half mirror 50 may not satisfy the reflecting conditions.

In contrast, in the inventive vehicle display unit shown in Figure 2, the prism 5 is a separate component from the windshield 30, and the angle ex between the first and second interfaces can be set to a desired value. Accordingly, the indicator 4 can be positioned so as not to be obstructed, for example, by the f ire wall 6, and yet the reflecting condition is satisfied.

Figure 3 shows another embodiment having a self -light- emission type indicator 7 similar to that shown in Figure 2, and a prism 8 having a triangular cross-section and which is made of a smoke-color acrylic resin. LEDs (light- 6 emitting diodes) 9 serve as a display means, and an LED drive circuit 11 controls the on-off operations of the LEDs 9.

The positional relationships between the indicator 7, the prism 8 and the line of sight 3 are the same as those between the indicator 4, the prism 5 and the line of sight 3 in the second embodiment shown in Figure 2.

The f irst interface of the prism 8, on the side of the prism facing the driver's seat side, is a reflecting surface 8a. A recess 8c is formed in the second interface 8b on the side of the prism facing the windshield 301 and accommodates the LEDs 9. The reflecting surface 8a of the prism has a transmittance characteristic of approximately 10%. A fixing plate 12 comprising transparent acrylic resin or the like is provided on the second interface 8b of the prism 8, so that the prism 8 is fixedly bonded to the windshield 30 through the fixing plate 12. The LEDs 9 are connected to the LED drive circuit 11 through lead wires 13 held between the prism 8 and the fixing plate 12. 20 Similarly to the above-described second embodiment of the vehicle display unit, the image of the indicator 7 indicating driving information is observed near the field of vision of the windshield glass 30. The ref lecting surface 8a of the prism has a transmittance characteristic of approximately 10%, and thus appears dark when viewed by the driver in the driver's seat. Hence, the indicator image reflected from the reflecting surface Sa has a high contrast in relation to the dark background. Because of the transmittance of the reflecting surface

8a, the LEDs 9 are not visible when turned off. However, when the LEDs 9 are turned on, the output light beams thereof can be observed through the reflecting surface 8a of the prism S. The output light beams of the LEDs 9 form predetermined display patterns, so that other display images appear to be superposed with the indicator image in the reflecting surface 8a of the prism 8.

7 In the third embodiment, the prism 8 is a separate component from the windshield glass 30, and therefore the amount of information viewed can be readily increased, for example, by adding LEDs to the prism.

In the third embodiment, prism 8 serving as a reflecting means comprises a smoke-color acrylic resin to provide the dark reflecting surface. This arrangement may also be used in the first embodiment. Hence, when a flat reflecting plate is employed as the reflecting means as in the first embodiment, the reflecting plate may comprise a smoke-color acrylic resin to eliminate the formation of the black coating on the plate.

In the above embodiments, the reflecting member is a component separate from the windshield glass. Thus, forming the ceramic coating on the windshield glass during a processing step thereof is unnecessary, and the indicator image has a high contrast with the dark background. Additionally, the positional relationships between the indicator and the line of sight can be designed more freely.

In each of the above embodiments, the reflecting plate on the prism closely contacts the windshield glass. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and thus the reflecting member may be spaced apart from the windshield.

As described above, in the vehicle display unit in which the image of the indicator, disposed on the dashboard with the indicating surface held upwardly, is reflected near the boundary between the windshield and the dashboard in the field of vision of the windshield towards the vehicle driver, a reflecting member with a dark reflecting surface is positioned near the boundary between the windshield and the dashboard, and is inclined towards the vehicle driver to reflect the image of the indicator thereto. The reflecting member is separate from the windshield. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to form the black coating on the windshield glass during the manufacture thereof, and thus the windshield need not be 1 8 directly processed. The angle of the reflecting surface can be freely selected irrespective of the windshield inclination angle. Thus, the vehicle display unit forms an indicator image high in contrast in the field of vision of the windshield near the boundary between the windshield and the dashboard, and can bo easily manufactured and installed. Moreover, the vehicle display unit can be designed with a high degree of freedom.

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Claims

1. A display unit for a vehicle including a windshield, a driver's seat, a dashboard, and an indicator disposed on said dashboard and having an indicating surf ace, wherein an image of said indicator disposed on said dashboard with the indicating surface thereof facing upwardly is reflected near a boundary between said windshield and said dashboard towards a driver in said driver's seat, said unit comprising:

a unitary reflecting -means positioned near the boundary between said windshield and said dashboard f or reflecting said image of said indicator towards said driver in said driver's seat, said reflecting means comprising first and second surfaces, said first surface being a reflecting surface inclined towards said driver's seat, said second surface of said reflecting means having a coating thereon.

2. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first surface of said reflecting means faces said driver's seat and reflects said image of said indicator, and said second surface faces said windshield, and wherein said coating is adapted to serve as a background for said image being reflected.

3. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reflecting means comprises a transparent acrylic material, and said first surface is semitransparent.

4. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second surfaces form a predetermined angle to define optical positional relationships between said indicator and a line of sight of said driver.

5. A display unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first and second surfaces form a predetermined angle to define optical positional relationships between said indicator and a line of sight of said driver.

6. A display unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first and second surfaces form a predetermined angle to define optical positional relationships between said indicator and a line of sight of a driver in said driver's seat.

7. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reflecting means is fixedly bonded to said windshield.

8. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reflecting means is spaced apart from said windshield.

9. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coating is dark in color.

10. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reflecting means comprises a flat reflecting plate.

11. A display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reflecting means comprises a prism, said prism having a triangular cross-section and comprising transparent acrylic resin.

12. A display unit for a vehicle including a windshield, a driver's seat, a dashboard, and an indicator disposed on said dashboard and having an indicating surf ace, wherein an image of said indicator disposed on said dashboard with the indicating surface thereof facing upwardly is reflected near a boundary between said windshield and said dashboard towards a driver in said driver's seat, said unit comprising:

a unitary reflecting means positioned near the boundary between said windshield and said dashboard for reflecting said image of said indicator towards said driver 11 in said driver's seat, said reflecting means comprising first and second surfaces, said first surface being a reflecting surface inclined towards said driver's seat, said reflecting means comprising a material dark in color.

13. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first surface faces said driver in said driver's seat and is adapted to reflect said image of said indicator.

14. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first surface faces said driver in said driver's seat, and said second surface faces said windshield, said first and second surfaces forming a predetermined angle to define optical positional relationships between said indicator and a line of sight of said driver in said driver's seat.

15. A display unit as claimed in claim 13, wherein said f irst and second surf aces f orm a predetermined angle to define optical positional relationships between said indicator and a line of sight of said driver in said driver's seat.

16. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein said reflecting means is fixedly bonded to said windshield.

17. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein said reflecting means is spaced apart from said windshield.

18. A display unit as claimed ln claim 12, wherein said reflecting means comprises a reflecting plate comprising a smoke-color acrylic resin.

19. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein said reflecting means comprises a prism, said prism having a triangular cross-section and comprising a smoke-color acrylic resin.

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20. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, further comprising display means for displaying predetermined display patterns, said display means comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes.

21. A display unit as claimed in claim 20, further comprising lightemitting diode drive circuit means for controlling said plurality of light emitting diodes.

22. A display unit as defined in claim 21, wherein said reflecting means comprises a prism, said prism comprising first and second surfaces, wherein said second surface has a recess means formed therein for accommodating said plurality of light emitting diodes.

23. A display unit as defined in claim 22, wherein said prism comprises a smoke-color acrylic resin, and wherein said first surface has a transmittance characteristic of approximately 10%.

24. A display unit as defined by claim 22, wherein output light beams of said plurality of light-emitting diodes form predetermined display patterns, said patterns being superposed with said image from said indicator in said first surface of said prism.

25. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a fixing plate, said reflecting means being bonded to aid windshield by said fixing plate.

26. A display unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first surface has a transmittance characteristic of approximately 10%.

27. A display unit as claimed in claim 26, wherein said fixing plate comprises transparent acrylic resin.