76/LTuD3-l
Optical Design of Dual-combiner Head-up Displays.
Anthony J Kirkham,
Pilkington Optronics,
Pilkington P E Ltd., Glascoed Road, St. Asaph, Clwyd LL17 OLL, U.K.
Introduction.
A head-up display ('HUD') projects collimated flight information
"head up" to the pilot, being superimposed upon the outside world
scene by means of a partially reflective 'combiner' glass. The
lens design form is invariably a field-flattened Petzval type,
working at an aperture ratio between F/0*9 and F/l-4. Fields of
view are typically 25 degrees (total), with an instantaneous field
of view ('IFOV') around 16° azimuth by 10° elevation. The IFOV is
limited by the finite size of the optics.
Many modern HUD optical modules are, in fact, designed to fit
older aircraft which are undergoing an avionics upgrade. Increased
IFOVs are usually demanded, but within a space envelope predefined
by the previously-fitted HUD. A solution which has been widely
adopted is to use dual combiners, which increases the elevation
IFOV (though does not help in azimuth).
The drawing below shows a typical modern compact dual combiner HUD,
designed to fit a realistic but imaginary aircraft cockpit.
There are two features of this configuration which result in the
optical design of a HUD optic for dual combiners differing somewhat
from that for a single combiner HUD. It also follows that an optic
designed for a single combiner does not give optimum performance
in a dual combiner arrangement.
LTuD3-2/77
Design features of dual combiner HUD optics.
The rays drawn as solid lines on the drawing show the paths along
which light from the center of the CRT reaches the pilot's eyes.
Firstly, it will be noted that there are two simultaneous light
paths from the axial object point. Residual aberration in the lens
will manifest itself as double imaging of the central portion of
the display. Aberrations across the pupil must therefore be much
better controlled than would be considered necessary in a single
combiner optic.
An unusually low Petzval Sum is required, resulting in a relatively
powerful field flattener component of high index glass. Also,
when tolerancing the design there is less leeway to allow
decollimation due to manufacture, which results in generally
tighter tolerances (particularly combiner flatness).
The second feature to note is that the field center rays pass
through the exit lenses close to the edge of the pupil. It is
usual in a single combiner HUD to permit some residual chromatic
error in order to reduce powers and therefore weight in the exit
group; this results in chromatic line spread of symbology at the
periphery of the field of view due to the finite bandwidth of
the CRT emission (500 - 580 nm for the common P-1 phosphor).
In the dual combiner HUD, however, such chromatic degradation will
occur at the field center unless the HUD is designed to have
significantly better correction of primary color. This requires
unusually powerful crown & flint elements in the exit group, as
shown in the lens drawing. The weight increase can be partially
offset by selecting modern lightweight glasses.
Use of P-53 phosphor for enhanced azimuth IFOV.
In recent years several HUD manufacturers have exploited CRT's
with the "high brightness" P-53 phosphor.
The spectral bandwidth of P-53, unfortunately for the optical
designer, extends from 480 to 610 nm. Color correction over this
waveband is generally not practical within the cockpit space
constraints. About 65% of the energy is emitted between 540 & 560
nm, and if it is accepted that only this narrow waveband will be
used then it becomes possible to utilise a lens design with unusually
poor color correction.
Consequently, the lens powers in the exit group may be significantly
reduced to the extent that only two elements are needed.
This fact can be used by the optical designer in either of two ways.
Either the thickness of the exit group can be reduced, thereby
reducing the HUD's depth profile; or, the depth can be unchanged
and the width of the exit lenses increased to enhance azimuth
field of view.
An example of a HUD optical design in accordance with the latter
option will be discussed in the paper.
