IP Library Granted Patent US 12,554,132
Granted Patent B2
US 12,554,132 · App. 18/967,236 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Head-up display and moving body with head-up display mounted thereon

Inventors: Satoshi Kuzuhara (Osaka, JP); Hiroaki Okayama (Nara, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
G02B27/0101B60K35/23B60R11/0229B60R2011/0026B60R2300/205G02B2027/0183G02B2027/0187
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,554,132
App. No.
18/967,236
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A head-up display is configured to project an image on a transparent reflection member to cause an observer to visually recognize a virtual image, and includes a display device configured to display the image, and a projection optical system configured to project the image displayed by the display device as the virtual image for the observer. The projection optical system is configured to form an image as an intermediate image, and includes a first lens configured to condense light, and a first optical element configured to diffuse light. The first lens and the first optical element are disposed in this order along an optical path from the display device. The first lens is inclined with respect to a reference beam which is defined as a beam reaching a center of a viewpoint region of the observer and corresponding to a center of the virtual image.

Claims (46)

1 . A head-up display configured to project a projection image on a transparent reflection member to cause an observer to visually recognize a virtual image, the head-up display comprising:

a device configured to emit beams for forming the projection image from an original image;

a first lens configured to condense the beams emitted from the device;

a second mirror configured to reflect the beams and form an intermediate image; and

a third mirror configured to reflect the beams that formed the intermediate image to the transparent reflection member as the projection image, wherein

the first lens, the second mirror, and the third mirror are disposed in this order along an optical path to the transparent reflection member, and

the first lens is inclined with respect to a reference beam, the reference beam being defined as a beam reaching a center of a viewpoint region of the observer and corresponding to a center of the virtual image.

2 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein

the first lens is inclined with respect to the reference beam so that an upper side of the first lens is closer to the second mirror than a lower side of the first lens is.

3 . The head-up display according to claim 2 , wherein

the first lens is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the reference beam at an angle from 15 degrees to 30 degrees.

4 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein

the head-up display further includes a first mirror configured to reflect the beams emitted from the device, the first mirror being between the device and the first lens.

5 . The head-up display according to claim 4 , wherein the head-up display further includes a second lens disposed between the device and the first mirror, the second lens being configured to condense the beams emitted from the device.

6 . The head-up display according to claim 4 , wherein the first mirror is configured to change a direction of the reference beam reflected toward the first lens with respect to the reference beam incident on the first mirror.

7 . The head-up display according to claim 6 , wherein

the optical path between the first mirror and the first lens is a space, and

the beams reflected by the first mirror is directly incident on the first lens.

8 . The head-up display according to claim 6 , wherein the second mirror is configured to change a direction of the reference beam reflected toward the third mirror with respect to a direction of the reference beam reflected by the first mirror.

9 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein

the optical path between the second mirror and the third mirror is a space, and

the intermediate image is an aerial image formed in the space on the optical path between the second mirror and the third mirror.

10 . The head-up display according to claim 9 , wherein the intermediate image is formed at a position nearer to the second mirror than to the third mirror.

11 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein the third mirror is a concave mirror.

12 . The head-up display according to claim 11 , wherein the third mirror has a free-form surface.

13 . The head-up display according to claim 12 , wherein the second mirror has a free-form surface.

14 . A head-up display configured to project a projection image on a transparent reflection member to cause an observer to visually recognize a virtual image, the head-up display comprising:

a device configured to emit beams for forming the projection image from an original image;

a first mirror configured to reflect the beams emitted from the device;

a first lens configured to condense the beams reflected by the first mirror;

a second mirror configured to reflect the beams and form an intermediate image; and

a third mirror configured to reflect the beams that formed the intermediate image to the transparent reflection member as the projection image, wherein

the first mirror, the first lens, the second mirror, and the third mirror are disposed in this order along an optical path to the transparent reflection member, and

the first lens is inclined with respect to a straight line connecting a center of the first mirror and a center of the second mirror.

15 . The head-up display according to claim 14 , wherein

the first lens is inclined with respect to the straight line so that an upper side of the first lens is closer to the second mirror than a lower side of the first lens is.

16 . The head-up display according to claim 15 , wherein

the first lens is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the straight line at an angle from 15 degrees to 30 degrees.

17 . The head-up display according to claim 14 , wherein the head-up display further includes a second lens disposed between the device and the first mirror, the second lens being configured to condense the beams emitted from the device.

18 . The head-up display according to claim 14 , wherein

the optical path between the first mirror and the first lens is a space, and

the beams reflected by the first mirror is directly incident on the first lens.

19 . The head-up display according to claim 14 , wherein

the optical path between the second mirror and the third mirror is a space, and

the intermediate image is an aerial image formed in the space on the optical path between the second mirror and the third mirror.

20 . The head-up display according to claim 19 , wherein the intermediate image is formed at a position nearer to the second mirror than to the third mirror.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2017-236946 · Dec 11, 2017 · national
Continuity (5)
Continuation 18503780 · Nov 7, 2023
Continuation 18095313 · Jan 10, 2023
Continuation 16892397 · Jun 4, 2020
Continuation PCTJP2018039307 · Oct 23, 2018
Related Publication 20250093648A1 · Mar 20, 2025
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