Display Screen, and Display System for a Panoramic Display Unit

Abstract

A display screen for a reflection display system in a motor vehicle has, for arrangement in front of or on a lower region of the windshield, a reflection layer, in order to reflect a display image in a display region without a double image.

Claims

1.-11. (canceled)

12. A display screen for a reflection display system in a motor vehicle, the display screen comprising: a reflection layer to be arranged in front of or on a lower area of a windshield of the motor vehicle in order to reflect a display image in a display area, wherein the display screen is formed separately from the windshield.

13. The display screen according to claim 12, wherein a black layer is provided to form an opaque display area.

14. The display screen according to claim 12, wherein a holding device is provided to fasten the display screen on the windshield.

15. The display screen according to claim 14, wherein the display screen has openings for receiving holding pins, which are part of the holding device.

16. The display screen according to claim 12, wherein a heating layer is provided in order to heat the display screen to remove condensation or frost.

17. The display screen according to claim 12, wherein the display screen extends over more than half of a width of the windshield in order to enable a panoramic display.

18. The display screen according to claim 12, wherein the display screen has a height of between 5 and 30 cm.

19. The display screen according to claim 12, wherein at least one of an upper edge or a lower edge of the display screen is curved.

20. A reflection display system for a motor vehicle, the reflection display system comprising: the display screen according to claim 12; the windshield; and a display unit for displaying a display image, wherein: the display screen and the display unit are arranged so that a display image is perceptible in an ocular area of a user, and the display screen is arranged on or in front of the lower area of the windshield.

21. The reflection display system according to claim 20, wherein: the lower area of the windshield is formed as a black print area or corresponds to the black print area, and the display screen is configured so that an upper edge of the display screen terminates flush with the black print area with respect to a horizontal direction or lies below the black print area.

22. The reflection display system according to claim 20, wherein: the display screen is held in guides by holding elements fastened on the windshield, and the guides are arranged so that upon receiving the holding elements, the guides hold the display screen under surface tension so that the display screen is curved in a direction of the windshield.

23. The reflection display system according to claim 20, wherein: the display screen is held in guides by holding elements fastened on the windshield, and the guides are arranged so that upon receiving the holding elements, the guides hold the display screen under surface tension so that the display screen is curved in a direction of the windshield and is pressed against or presses on the windshield.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIGS. 1a and 1b show a schematic cross-sectional representation through a reflection display system in a motor vehicle or an interior view of a reflection display system.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a representation of the layer structure of the display screen.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of the fastening of the display screen using a holding device on the windshield.

[0036] FIGS. 4a and 4b show a top view of the windshield having a display screen attached in front of it and holding elements, which hold the display screen with surface tension and the windshield, as well as a more detailed representation of the holding element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIGS. 1a and 1b show a schematic cross-sectional representation through a motor vehicle having a reflection display system 1 and a representation from the viewing angle of the driver of the motor vehicle. The reflection display system 1 is arranged on an upper side of a dashboard 4 and has a display unit 2, which comprises a display surface 3 for displaying a display image. The display unit 2 is arranged on the upper side of the dashboard 4 below a windshield 5.

[0038] A display screen 8 is arranged in front of the windshield 5, and extends over a large part of the windshield 5 in front of a lower area adjoining a lower edge of the windshield 5 and provides a planar display area, which is used to reflect the display image displayed via the display surface 3. The display screen 8 can be applied directly to the windshield 5, or can be arranged in front of its inside at a distance of between 0 and 10 cm.

[0039] The display screen 8 extends over a height of the windshield 5 which comprises the display area. The display screen 8 can be implemented as a 0.5-1 mm thin film-like element, for example, made of a plastic material, and also as a structure up to 100 mm thick, which can press against the windshield and which can be formed having a supporting auxiliary structure. In this case, it is also possible to achieve a curve of the display screen independent of a windshield curvature. The properties of the overall display system may be optimized by such a curvature of the display screen independent of the windshield.

[0040] A curve of the display screen independent of the windshield curvature can be advisable in the case of extreme pane geometries of the windshield if acceptable display quality is not achievable due to the extreme pane geometries (for example, MINI vehicles). In order to avoid this problem, for an optimum display, a display screen having a reflection surface is required which has a more favorable (lesser) curvature. Due to the difference between the curvatures of the windshield and the display screen, a crescent-shaped space arises, which can be filled using an auxiliary structure. This structure can be implemented as discreetly as possible for the occupants, so that only the reflection surface is perceptible. Since the reflection surface has a similar color and similar reflection properties as the black print area of the windshield in the background, the display screen is to appear as part of the black print. The curve of the display screen is to enable more harmonic integration into the vehicle than a planar surface.

[0041] The display screen 8 is made reflective, i.e., having a reflection surface, at least on a side facing away from the windshield 5, in order to be able to perceive a display image displayed on the display surface 3 via the reflection surface as much as possible without losses of luminous intensity and without perceptible double image.

[0042] The display surface 3 is oriented with respect to the display area of the windshield 5 so that a display image displayed on the display surface 3 of the display unit 2 is reflected at the reflection surface of the display screen 8 and can be perceived by a vehicle occupant in an ocular area B. The orientation of the display unit 2 or its display surface 3 is thus preferably essentially parallel to the vehicle longitudinal and transverse axes or deviates therefrom by an angle of not more than 0-30?.

[0043] The display unit 2 is activated by a control unit 9 in order to output a desired display image to be perceived by the vehicle occupant.

[0044] The display unit 2 is attached in a depression 6 of the dashboard, so that a direct view of the display surface 3 of the display unit 2 is not possible by the vehicle occupant and blinding of the vehicle occupant by direct light from the display surface 3 in the ocular area B is avoided. Furthermore, the display surface 3 of the display unit 2 is oriented so that a displayed display image is reflected on the reflection side of the display screen 5 and can be perceived by a vehicle occupant in an ocular area B as a reflection image R on the display screen 8.

[0045] The display unit 2 is preferably designed as a light-emitting display unit, in particular as an LCD display unit having a backlight of high brightness or as a micro-LED display unit, in order to provide a bright display image, so that the generated reflection image can be perceived via the corresponding area of the windshield 5 even in the event of high ambient brightness.

[0046] The display screen 8 can be arranged over a large part of the width of the windshield 5 directly on a lower area of the windshield 5. This lower area of the windshield 5 generally has a black print area 51 and is thus opaque. The black print area generally has a height from the lower edge of the windshield 5 between 5 and 30 cm.

[0047] In particular, the upper side of the display screen 8 can terminate essentially with the upper side of the black print area of the windshield 5 or can lie below it in the vertical direction. In particular, the display screen 8 can be curved with its upper and lower edge in order to accordingly emulate a curvature of the windshield 5 in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0048] FIG. 2 shows a layer structure of the display screen 8. A reflection layer 81 can be seen, which has the reflection properties required for the reflection display system. In particular, the reflection layer 81 has a preferred reflection of the display light of the display unit 2 in a specific polarization direction. The reflection layer 81 can be provided with a protective layer 82 on the side facing toward the PHUD display unit 2, in order to protect the reflection layer 81 from damage or soiling.

[0049] In the direction of the windshield 5, i.e., the side opposite to the protective layer 82, a black layer 83 can flatly adjoin the reflection layer 81, which is opaque or has a very high tint; the light incident from the direction of the windshield 5 is darkened below the perceptibility threshold of a user. A heating layer 84 can flatly adjoin the black layer 83, and enables the entire display screen 8 to be heated, in order to free it from condensation or a frost layer if necessary.

[0050] A further protective layer 85 can terminate the display screen 8 on a side facing toward the windshield 5.

[0051] The display screen 8 can be applied with the aid of an adhesive layer 85 to the windshield 5 extensively or only in a lower area of the display screen 8.

[0052] The display screen 8 can furthermore have a supporting plastic layer. Alternatively, the display screen can consist of one or more mineral glass-based layers. A combination of mineral glass and plastic layers is also possible. To achieve the required properties of the display screen, one or more layers can be provided with a functional coating.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the windshield 5 having a display screen 8 attached in front of it. Alternatively or additionally to the adhesive layer 85, holding elements 11 in the form of protruding holding pins 11 can be applied to the windshield 5 to hold the display screen 8, which are inserted into the display screen 8 through corresponding openings 111 for the installation, so that the display screen 8 is held fixed in position with respect to the windshield 5. The holding pins 11 can be provided with corresponding detent elements or can be provided for receiving head elements, which can be plugged onto the holding pins 11 and can lock with the holding pins 11. The holding pins 11 can preferably be arranged here at a lower edge of the windshield 5 so that they cannot be perceived by a driver or other vehicle occupants in the display area.

[0054] FIG. 4a shows a top view of a windshield 5 having a film-like display screen 8 attached in front of it. The fastening of the display screen 8 takes place with pre-tension in the transverse direction of the vehicle, wherein holding elements 12 arranged horizontally offset are applied to the windshield, for example, by adhesive bonding with a vertical guide 121 in particular so that the film-like display screen 8 can be inserted into the holding elements by pushing in in the vertical direction. The display screen 8 is provided between the holding elements 12 with a surface tension in the horizontal direction here, so that this screen is curved in the direction of the curved windshield 5 and thus adapts to the shape of the windshield 5 or provides a curvature separate therefrom.

[0055] If the surface tension is sufficiently large, the display screen 8 presses flatly against the windshield 5 and the display screen 8 automatically assumes the shape specified by the inside of the windshield 5. The originally two-dimensional display screen 8 is thus-presuming sufficient elasticity-curved three-dimensionally in accordance with the windshield.

[0056] To prevent relaxation of the display screen in the vertical direction, a stop element 13 can be provided approximately in the center of the windshield 5 to support the lower edge of the display screen 8, on which the display screen 8 presses or supports itself downward.

[0057] FIG. 4b shows the holding element 12 in detail. The guide 121 formed by a lug for receiving a lateral edge of the display screen 8 can be seen.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0058] 1 reflection display system [0059] 2 display unit [0060] 3 display surface [0061] 4 dashboard [0062] 5 windshield [0063] 51 black print area [0064] 6 depression [0065] 8 display screen [0066] 81 reflection layer [0067] 82 protective layer [0068] 83 black layer [0069] 84 heating layer [0070] 85 further protective layer [0071] 9 control unit [0072] 11 holding pin [0073] 111 openings [0074] 12 holding element [0075] 121 vertical guide [0076] B ocular area