Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Mirise Technologies Corporation

Mirise Technology Corporation

Hiroshi Ando

Kazuyuki Ishihara

Kodai Takeda

Masatoshi Tsuji

Yujiro Mizobuchi

An optical member includes a light guide made of a transparent material. The light guide has: an incident surface; an exit surface having exit portions and flat portions; a smooth surface arranged opposite to the flat portions; an upper surface and a lower surface arranged opposite to each other so as to connect the smooth surface and the exit surface; a first protrusion protruding from the upper surface; and a second protrusion protruding from the lower surface. The flat portions reflect the incident light toward the smooth surface by total reflection. The smooth surface reflects the reflected light reflected by the flat portion toward the exit surface by total reflection. The exit portions emit a part of the incident light or a part of light reflected by the smooth surface to the outside.

Optical member and blind spot assistance device using the same

A blind spot assist device includes a first optical element and a second optical element. The first optical element reflects a part of incident light having a first angle of incidence at different second angles such that light is incident at the first angle on the first optical element from an outdoor view and reflected at the second angles on the first optical element. The second optical element is positioned to face the first optical element and reflects incident lights having different angles of incidence at a third angle such that lights reflected by the first optical element are incident at the second angles on the second optical element and reflected at the third angle on the second optical element toward a user.

Blind spot assist device

An optical member includes a light guide. An inclination angle of a first reflecting surface of the light guide with respect to a first direction perpendicular to a normal direction of the first reflecting surface is defined as γr in a rotational direction about an axis extending in the normal direction. A line segment is defined by connecting the viewer and the light guide in a cross section perpendicular to the first direction. An inclination angle of the line segment with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the normal direction and the first direction is defined as β in a rotational direction about an axis extending in the first direction. The first reflecting surface is formed so as to satisfy Inequation of 10°≤arctan(tan γr×sin β)≤90°.

Optical member

A blind spot display device displays an image of blind spot blocked by an obstacle, and includes an incidence surface, a light guide member, a first reflecting surface closed to a display region, a second reflecting surface close to the blind spot, and multiple prism portions protruding toward the display region. An external environment light beam enters the incidence surface, reflects alternately on the first and second reflecting surface while passing through the light guide member, and emits toward the display region through the prism portions. Apexes of the prism portions are arranged in a three dimensional manner not along a plane.

Blind spot display device

An optical member includes a light guide body. The light guide body has an incident surface on which an outside light is incident, a first surface having flat portions and prism portions, an incident light incident on the incident surface reaching the first surface for the first time, and a second surface arranged opposite to the flat portions. The flat portions totally reflect the incident light toward the second surface. The second surface totally reflects a reflected light reflected by the flat portion toward the first surface. The prism portion has an ejection surface to emit the incident light to outside.

An optical device introduces light from an outdoor view in a blind spot area hidden by an obstacle. The optical device includes a first reflector that reflects a part of light and transmits another part of the light, and a second reflector placed between a back surface of the first reflector and the obstacle and apart from the first reflector. The second reflector has a reflective surface that reflects light incident from the first reflector toward the first reflector. A light shield is placed at a front surface of the first reflector to block external light incident on and reflected from the front surface of the first reflector. The light shield includes light-shielding plates arranged at an interval in a vertical direction such that each light-shielding plate is horizontal. The first reflector is parallel to the reflective surface of the second reflector and tilted from a vertical axis.

Optical device for introducing light from outdoor view

A light guide member includes an incident portion, an emission portion, a reflection portion, and an inclined portion. An internal reflection angle inside the reflection portion and the emission portion is larger than an incident angle of an external light with respect to a first normal line that is a normal line of the emission portion. A first inclination angle that is an inclination angle of the incident portion with respect to the first normal line is smaller than the internal reflection angle. A height from the emission portion to a second side of the incident portion is larger than a distance between the emission portion and the reflection portion. A second inclination angle that is an inclination angle of the inclined portion with respect to the first normal line is smaller than the internal reflection angle.

Growing community of inventors

Nisshin, Japan

Hiroshi Ando