JP2007160995A - Vehicular display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular display device capable of enhancing the visibility by largely displaying information on the vehicle condition while suppressing the display area of the entire display. <P>SOLUTION: In the vehicular display device 1 for displaying the vehicle condition in an image, a part of the first image display and the second image display is displayed in an overlapping manner. The image control for determining and controlling the overlapping order is performed by a CPU 21, and the image control by the CPU 21 is displayed on the proximal side with the priority on the image display indicated by indexes 111, 121 when the indexes 111, 121 of the first image display or the second image display indicate the overlapping area 130 of both displays. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention belongs to the technical field of a vehicle display device that displays a vehicle state as an image.

Conventionally, a panel that displays the vehicle operation, status display device, and warning display device in a unified manner is disposed in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, and the display element of the panel is configured by a liquid crystal display element (for example, a patent) Reference 1).
JP-A-10-185625 (page 2-12, all figures)

  However, in the conventional display device for a vehicle, the display area is limited by being a type of looking through the internal space of the steering diameter, the display area is limited for the purpose of securing the front view, the instrument panel Due to the limitation of the display area due to design reasons such as the shape and steering shape, it has been difficult to display information indicating the vehicle state with good visibility as an image.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is for a vehicle that can improve visibility by suppressing the display area of the entire display and displaying large information on the vehicle state. It is to provide a display device.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the vehicle display device that displays the vehicle state as an image, a part of the first image display and the second image display are displayed in an overlapping manner, and the order of overlapping is judged and controlled. It is characterized by the above-mentioned, provided with the image control means to do.

  Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to improve visibility by suppressing the display area of the entire display and displaying large information on the vehicle state.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment for realizing the vehicle display device of the present invention will be described based on Example 1 corresponding to the invention according to claims 1 to 6.

First, the configuration will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle display device according to a first embodiment.
The vehicle display device 1 according to the first embodiment is attached to a meter panel position as a vehicle meter panel, and displays vehicle speed, engine speed, fuel, water temperature, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicular display device 1 can communicate with an engine controller 6, an automatic transmission controller 7 and the like by CAN, which is an in-vehicle communication network, and a vehicle speed sensor 8, a water temperature sensor 9, and an engine rotation (not shown). The detector and the like are directly connected to the signal input line.

In FIG. 2, the block diagram of the display apparatus 1 for vehicles is shown.
The vehicular display device 1 mainly includes a control unit 2 (corresponding to an image control unit), an input / output unit 3, a display unit 4, and a power supply unit 5.
The control unit 2 processes input information, sets display contents, and controls each unit of the vehicle display device 1. The control unit 2 mainly includes a CPU 21, a graphic accelerator 22, a VRAM 23, a RAM 24, and a FROM 25. .
The CPU 21 processes input data by executing data and programs stored in the FROM 23, sets display contents, and controls each part in the apparatus.
The graphic accelerator 22 performs processing for generating image data to be displayed on the display unit 4 and temporarily stores it in the VRAM 23.

The VRAM 23 temporarily stores image data used by the display unit 4 to display an image.
The RAM 24 temporarily stores processing data and processing contents of the CPU 21.
The FROM 25 stores the processing program and data of the CPU 25 until it is rewritten.

The input / output unit 3 is an interface that performs input / output between an external or internal device and the control unit 2, and mainly includes an input interface unit 31, a CAN interface unit 32, and a TFT interface unit 33.
The input interface unit 31 inputs information according to the set input timing and procedure through direct signal lines such as the vehicle speed sensor 8 and the water temperature sensor 9, and outputs the information to the CPU 21.
The CAN interface unit 32 performs communication by connecting to a CAN provided as an in-vehicle communication network.
The TFT interface unit 33 mainly outputs image data to the display unit 4.

The display unit 4 displays a liquid crystal image on the LCD. The LCD display image has sufficient display brightness by irradiating light from the backlight 41 located on the back surface.
The backlight 41 irradiates the LCD with light.
The display unit 4 may display an image other than the LCD.
The power supply unit 5 is supplied with power from the power line of the vehicle, and the vehicle display device 1 converts the power supply voltage into a necessary power supply voltage and supplies it to each unit.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of meter display by the vehicle display device 1 of the first embodiment.
A meter display area 100 by the display unit 4 includes a tachometer 110 (corresponding to a first image display), a speedometer 120 (corresponding to a second image display), and an overlapping area 130 (corresponding to an overlapping part) of the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120. The Odo trip meter 141, the shift indicator 142, and the direction instruction 143 are the main components.

The tachometer 110 is composed of a pointer 111 that rotates around the base end and indicates a scale whose tip corresponds to a value, and a scale 112 arranged on the circumference, and displays the engine speed.
The speedometer 120 is composed of a pointer 121 indicating a scale corresponding to a value with the tip rotating around the base end, and a scale 122 arranged on the circumference, and displays the engine speed.
It should be noted that the outer diameters of the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 that substantially coincide with the outer peripheral edges of the scale 112 and the scale 122 of the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 are set to a diameter of 110 mm. Further, the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 have a fan shape in which the rotation angles of the hands 111 and 121 are secured by 240 degrees.

The overlapping region 130 is a portion where the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other, and both are regions that may be indicated by the hands 111 and 121.
The od trip meter 141 displays the total travel distance of the vehicle and the travel distance from the position reset by the user.
The shift indicator 142 displays the shift position of the automatic transmission.
The direction indication 143 displays on / off of the direction indicator and the indication direction.

The operation will be described.
[Meter display action]
In the vehicle display device 1 according to the first embodiment, meter display is performed by color liquid crystal display.
Information necessary for meter display is taken into the apparatus by the input interface unit 31 and the CAN interface unit 32, and the information is processed by the CPU 21 for display.

When the content to be displayed on the meter is determined by the CPU 21 from the information obtained from the outside, the graphic accelerator 22 then generates an image to be actually displayed on the meter according to the displayed content, and the image data is temporarily stored in the VRAM 23. .
The display unit 4 displays the image data held in the VRAM 23.
Thereby, a meter display as shown in FIG. 8 is performed.
For the sake of explanation, FIG. 8 is a diagram in which the original color display is changed to a black-and-white multiple gradation diagram, and the gradation monochrome is inverted.

FIG. 8 shows an example of meter display. In FIG. 8, a meter needle or the like having a good visibility is represented.
The color image display shown in FIG. 8 as an example can provide aesthetics as compared with a mechanical meter, can provide various information, and can easily be changed. Is advantageous.

[Overlapping display processing]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow of overlapping display of the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 executed by the CPU 21 of the vehicle display device 1 according to the first embodiment. Each step will be described below.

  In step S1, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed displayed on the speedometer 120 is within a predetermined range. If it is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S3, and if outside the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S4. In addition, the predetermined range of vehicle speed shall be 0-50 km / h, for example, and the overlapping area | region in the speedometer 120 shall be shown.

  In step S2, it is determined whether or not the engine speed displayed on the tachometer 110 is within a predetermined range. If it is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S4, and if outside the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S3. In addition, the predetermined range of engine speed shall be 6000-8000 r / min, for example, and shall show the overlap area | region in the tachometer 110. FIG.

  In step S3, the speedometer 120 is displayed on the front side in the overlapping region 130, and the speedometer 120 is displayed in its entirety without any missing portion.

  In step S4, the tachometer 110 is displayed in the foreground in the overlap region 130, and the tachometer 110 is displayed in its entirety without any missing portion.

[Action to display and control the display to overlap]
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of image display in a state where the speedometer 120 is in the front (upper) state and in the state where the tachometer 110 is in the front side. In FIG. Only the overlap state is changed without doing it.
In the vehicle display device 1 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 are partially overlapped and displayed.
By overlapping a part in this way, the meter display can be made large and the meter display can be seen with good visibility while meeting the demands of narrowing the entire display area from the front view, steering shape, and design. .

Further, in the first embodiment, the overlapping display of the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 is configured such that the high rotation portion of the tachometer 110 and the low rotation portion of the speedometer 120 are overlapped.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining switching of overlapping display and movement of the pointer.
When the vehicle speed is low, for example, 0 to 50 km / h, the speedometer 120 is displayed in front by the processing of steps S1 and S3 (see FIG. 5A).
On the other hand, when the engine speed is high, for example, in the range of 6000 to 8000 r / min, the tachometer 110 is displayed in front by the processing of steps S2 and S4 (see FIG. 5B).

As described above, when the pointer 111 of the tachometer 110 indicates a predetermined range of high rotation by switching the overlapping display, the pointer 111 and the scale 112 are displayed without being lost, and the pointer 121 of the speedometer 120 is displayed at a low speed. In this case, the pointer 121 and the scale 122 are displayed without being lost, and the visibility is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to save space by overlapping the display while making both the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 easy to see.
Further, according to the determinations in steps S1 and S2, the speedometer is preferentially displayed at the front in normal times, and even when the vehicle speed is 50 km / h or less and the engine speed is 6000 r / min or more, The speedometer has priority and is displayed in front. Therefore, the portion where the vehicle speed is indicated by the pointer is not lost.
In this way, the control can give priority to the display of the vehicle speed regulated by the regulations. However, it should be added that it is practically hardly generated at a speed of 50 km / h or less and a speed of 6000 r / min or more.

[About meter display diameter]
The display diameter of the meter is the outer diameter of the scales 112 and 122 arranged on the circumference, or when the outer peripheral edge is displayed on the outer circumference of the scales 112 and 122 as shown in FIG. The outer diameter.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the display diameter of the meter display and the visibility evaluation, price difference, and evaluation / price difference.
In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents the display diameter, and the vertical axis not shown in detail shows the evaluation (the higher the value, the better the evaluation), the price difference, and the evaluation / price difference (the evaluation divided by the price difference). The visibility of the meter is easier to see as the display diameter is larger, and is almost unchanged when the display diameter is φ110 mm or more. This is considered to be due to the condition of sitting in the driver's seat as a condition for evaluation. In addition, the relationship between the display diameter and the price difference, which is an effect on the cost due to the increase in the display area due to the increase in the display diameter, is a substantially constant proportional relationship. Therefore, the value obtained by dividing the evaluation by the price difference gradually decreases as the display diameter becomes larger than φ110 mm with the display diameter peaking at φ110 mm. Therefore, the display diameter φ110 mm is a diameter at which the cost is low and good visibility is sufficiently obtained. In other words, the display diameter φ110 mm is the best for the price versus display diameter size. If the display diameter is smaller than this, the cost can be suppressed, but the number of people who are dissatisfied with the evaluation will increase, and if the display diameter is larger than this, the cost will increase without further evaluation.
In addition, when the visibility is more important than the cost, if the cost is sufficient, the display diameter may be 110 mm or more.

In the first embodiment, the meter display diameter is 110 mm for both the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120.
Therefore, as is clear from the evaluation data, the vehicular display device 1 according to the first embodiment can sufficiently obtain a favorable visibility evaluation while suppressing the cost.

[About the display angle of the meter]
The display angle of the meter is the rotation angle of the hands 111 and 121 indicating the minimum value to the maximum value in the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120.
FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the display angle of the meter display and the visibility evaluation, price difference, and evaluation / price difference.
In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis indicates the display angle, and the vertical axis not shown in detail shows the evaluation (the higher the value, the better the evaluation), the price difference, and the evaluation / price difference (the evaluation divided by the price difference). The visibility of the meter is easier to see as the display angle is larger, and hardly changes when the display angle is 240 degrees or more. If the display angle is narrow, the value is difficult to understand without staring at the scale, but if the display angle is wide enough, the value can be perceived sensuously without staring at the scale. Possible cause. Further, the relationship between the display angle and the price difference, which indicates the price difference due to the increase in the entire display area due to the increase in the display angle at a constant display diameter, is a substantially constant proportional relationship. On the other hand, when the evaluation is divided by the price difference, when the display angle is larger than 240 degrees, the display angle gradually decreases. The display angle is 240 degrees, and the cost is low and good visibility is sufficient. It is the limit that can be obtained. That is, the display angle of 240 degrees is the best for the display angle with respect to price. If the display angle is smaller than this, the cost can be suppressed, but the number of people who are dissatisfied with the evaluation increases. If the display angle is larger than this, the cost does not increase any more and the cost increases.
When visibility is more important than cost, the display angle may be 240 degrees or more.

In the first embodiment, the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 display the meter display diameter at 240 degrees.
Therefore, as is clear from the evaluation data, the vehicular display device 1 according to the first embodiment can sufficiently obtain a favorable visibility evaluation while suppressing the cost.

[Preliminary operation]
Further, in the vehicular display device 1 according to the first embodiment, as a preliminary operation, when the ignition power supply is turned on, the value displayed by the hands 111 and 121, that is, the speed value and the rotation value are not affected, and the minimum value is maximized. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the display is switched so that the display of the tachometer 110 is in front. Thereby, it is possible to give the user a presentation effect indicating that it has been activated and to recognize in advance that the display may be switched.

Next, the effect will be described.
In the vehicle display device according to the first embodiment, the effects listed below can be obtained.
(1) In the vehicular display device 1 that displays the vehicle state as an image, the CPU 21 performs image control for displaying a part of the first image display and the second image display in an overlapping manner, and determining and controlling the overlapping order. Therefore, visibility of the vehicle state can be improved by largely displaying vehicle state information while suppressing the display area of the entire display.

  (2) The first image display and the second image display display the tachometer 112 and 122 arranged on the circumference and the tachometer for displaying the measurement value by the hands 111 and 121 as images. In the control, when the pointers 111 and 121 of the first image display or the second image display indicate the overlapping area 130 of both displays, the image display instructed by the pointers 111 and 121 is preferentially displayed on the front side. By giving priority display without impairing the display indicated by the hands 111 and 121, it is possible to obtain a tachometer capable of obtaining good visibility even if there is an overlapping portion.

  (3) The first image display and the second image display are a speedometer 120 that indicates the traveling speed of the vehicle and a tachometer 110 that indicates the number of revolutions of the engine of the vehicle. When 130 is not instructed by the pointer 111, the speedometer 120 is preferentially displayed on the front side, so that it is possible to give priority to the display of the vehicle speed regulated by laws and regulations.

  (4) Since the rotation angles of the hands 111 and 121 of the tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 are 240 degrees or more, a tachometer display capable of obtaining sufficient visibility based on the evaluation data can be obtained.

  (5) The tachometer 110 and the speedometer 120 have a tachometer display that can obtain sufficient visibility based on the evaluation data because the outer circumference of the scale arranged on the circumference is 110 mm or more. Can do.

  (6) When the ignition power of the vehicle is turned on, a preliminary operation display that rotates the pointers 111 and 121 on both displays to the maximum rotation position and switches the overlapping display with the rotation of the pointers regardless of the vehicle state. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the switching of the display and perform an effect at the time of activation.

The second embodiment is an example in which when the tachometer is displayed in front, the vehicle speed is digitally displayed on the speedometer.
The image display control by the CPU 21 displays the vehicle speed digitally on the speedometer 120 when the tachometer 110 in step S4 is displayed on the front side.
Since the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

The operation will be described.
[Operation to add digital display]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the vehicle display device according to the second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, when the tachometer 110 is displayed on the front by the process of step S4 and the speedometer 120 is displayed in the back, a digital display 150 of the vehicle speed is added to the speedometer 120 and displayed (see FIG. 9).
As a result, the display of the depth does not cause the portion of the scale 122 pointed to by the pointer 121 to be lost, but when it is evaluated that attention is directed to the tachometer 110, the speed is thus increased. By adding a digital display 150 to the meter 120, the display on the speedometer 120 can be further enhanced.

Explain the effect.
The vehicle display device according to the second embodiment has the following effects in addition to the effects (1) to (3).
(7) Since the digital display 150 of the vehicle speed is added to the speedometer 120 when the tachometer 110 is displayed on the front side, the vehicle speed display can be sufficiently emphasized even when the speedometer 120 is displayed on the back side. it can.

As mentioned above, although the display apparatus for vehicles of the present invention has been described based on the first and second embodiments, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and each claim of the claims Design changes and additions are permitted without departing from the spirit of the invention.
When the display of the speedometer and the display of the tachometer are overlapped, the speedometer is prioritized. In this case as well, a display that makes it look thin and transparent may be performed.
The range of the overlapping region changes depending on the performance of the vehicle, the engine performance, and the like, and may be changed according to the vehicle.
The overlapping degree of the overlapping region may be an overlapping degree other than that shown in FIG. 4 and may be changed according to the size of the entire display.

1 is a schematic view of a vehicle display device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle display device 1 according to a first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the meter display by the vehicle display apparatus 1 of Example 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of overlapping display of a tachometer 110 and a speedometer 120 executed by a CPU 21 of the vehicle display device 1 according to the first embodiment. It is a figure explaining the change of the overlap display in the display apparatus for vehicles of Example 1, and the motion of a pointer | guide. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the display diameter of meter display in the display apparatus for vehicles of Example 1, visibility evaluation, price difference, and evaluation / price difference. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the display angle of meter display in the display apparatus for vehicles of Example 1, visibility evaluation, price difference, and evaluation / price difference. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an image display example in a state in which the speedometer 120 is in the front (upper) state and the tachometer 110 is in the front side in the vehicle display device according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display apparatus for vehicles of Example 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display apparatus for vehicles 2 Control part 21 CPU
22 Graphic accelerator 23 VRAM
24 RAM
25 FROM
3 Input / output unit 31 Input interface unit 32 CAN interface unit 33 TFT interface unit 4 Display unit 41 Backlight 5 Power supply unit 6 Engine controller 7 Controller 8 Vehicle speed sensor 9 Water temperature sensor 100 Meter display area 110 Tachometer 111 Pointer 112 Scale 120 Speedometer 121 Pointer 122 Scale 130 Overlapping area 141 Odo / trip meter 142 Shift indicator 143 Direction indication 150 Digital display

Claims (6)

In a vehicle display device that displays a vehicle state as an image,
An image control means for displaying a part of the first image display and the second image display in an overlapping manner and determining and controlling the overlapping order;
A vehicle display device characterized by the above. The vehicle display device according to claim 1,
The first image display and the second image display display a tachometer that displays a measurement value with a scale and a pointer arranged on the circumference as an image,
The image control means includes
When the pointer of the first image display or the second image display indicates an overlapping portion of both displays, the image display indicated by the pointer is preferentially displayed on the front side.
A display device for a vehicle. The vehicle display device according to claim 1 or 2,
The first image display and the second image display are:
A speedometer showing the running speed of the vehicle,
It is an engine speed meter that indicates the engine speed of a vehicle,
The image control means includes
When the overlapping part of both displays is not indicated by the pointer, the speedometer is preferentially displayed on the front side.
A display device for a vehicle. In the vehicle display device according to claim 2 or 3,
The rotation angle of the pointer of the first image display and the second image display is 240 degrees or more.
A display device for a vehicle. In the vehicle display device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
In the first image display and the second image display, an outer edge circumference of a scale arranged on the circumference is 110 mm or more.
A display device for a vehicle. In the vehicle display device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
When the ignition power of the vehicle is turned on, regardless of the vehicle state, the pointer of both displays is rotated to the maximum rotation position, and a preliminary operation display is performed to switch the overlapping display with the rotation of the pointer.
A display device for a vehicle.

Images