TWI766736B - Digital instrument with function of synthesizing external system images and method for displaying synthesized images - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images and a method for displaying the synthesized images. The digital instrument is applied to a vehicle, and includes an image processing unit electrically connected to an instrument image storage unit, a display unit and an external device. System image receiving unit. In the method for displaying composite image, the basic instrument image is stored in the instrument image storage unit, the basic instrument image is accessed by the image processing unit from the instrument image storage unit, the external device is communicated and connected to the external device through the external system image receiving unit, and the image processing unit is connected with the external system through the external system. The image receiving unit receives the external system image generated by the external device, and synthesizes the external system image and the basic instrument image into a composite image for display on the display screen, so as to achieve the function of the digital instrument for the combined display of the basic instrument image and the external system image.

Description

Digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images and display of the synthesized images method

The present invention provides a digital instrument, especially a digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images and a method for displaying the synthesized images.

The digital instruments of conventional vehicles usually only have built-in basic instrument images. Common display items include speed signs, direction indicators, and fuel warning signs. Although they are digitalized, they can achieve virtual display, or even change colors and styles. The function of the display mode, but there is no function for the image synthesis display of the external system on the basic instrument image, which cannot achieve the improvement of the image display function.

In addition, the in-vehicle system of the conventional vehicle is a display unit independent of the digital instrument. Although the in-vehicle system can obtain the external system image from an external device, it only simply projects the external system image to the in-vehicle system. The instrument has a basic instrument image, and there is no function that can project an external system image to synthesize the basic instrument image.

Therefore, how to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional digital instrument is the focus of the present invention.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventor has exhausted his mind and research, and further developed a digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images and a method for displaying the composite image, so that the basic instrument image of the digital instrument can be synthesized and displayed with the external system image. purpose.

The present invention provides a digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images, which is applied to a vehicle and includes an instrument image storage unit, an image processing unit, a display unit and an external system image receiving unit, wherein the instrument image storage unit The unit stores a basic instrument image; the image processing unit is electrically connected to the instrument image storage unit, and the image processing unit accesses the basic instrument image from the instrument image storage unit; the display unit is electrically connected to the image processing unit, and the display The unit has a display screen, the image processing unit normally displays the accessed basic instrument image on the display screen; the external system image receiving unit is electrically connected to the image processing unit, and the external system image receiving unit can communicate with an external device , the image processing unit can receive an external system image generated by the external device through the external system image receiving unit, and synthesize the external system image and the basic instrument image into a combined image to be displayed on the display screen.

The present invention further provides a synthetic image display method of a digital instrument with a function of synthesizing an external system image. The digital instrument is applied to a vehicle and includes an image processing unit, an instrument image storage unit, a display unit, and an external system, respectively. The image receiving unit is electrically connected, and the composite image display method includes the following steps: storing a basic instrument image with the instrument image storage unit; the image processing unit accessing the basic instrument image from the instrument image storage unit; the external system image The receiving unit communicates with an external device, the image processing unit receives an external system image generated by the external device through the external system image receiving unit, and synthesizes the external system image and the basic instrument image into a composite image; and displays the composite image The image is displayed on one of the display units.

In a preferred embodiment, the display unit of the digital instrument is a thin film transistor liquid crystal display.

In a preferred embodiment, the external system image receiving unit of the digital instrument communicates with the external device, which is a wired communication link or a wireless communication link.

In a preferred embodiment, the external system image receiving unit of the digital instrument includes a decoder for decoding the external system image.

In a preferred embodiment, in the composite image display method, the composite image includes a first display area and a second display area displayed on the display screen, the first display area displays the basic instrument image, and the first display area displays the basic instrument image. The second display area displays the external system image.

In a preferred embodiment, in the composite image display method, the composite image is further superimposed on the external system image and covers a portion of the basic instrument image to form the first display area and the second display area.

In a preferred embodiment, the basic instrument image includes a speed sign, a direction indication sign, a fuel quantity warning sign, a water temperature warning sign, a time display sign, a fixed width light sign, a battery indication sign, and an ABS indication sign. At least one of the inspection sign, the tire pressure display sign, the high beam indicator sign, and the key away warning sign.

In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle is a two-wheeled fuel locomotive or an electric locomotive, or a four-wheeled car, truck or ATV.

In a preferred embodiment, the external device is a portable smart phone, tablet computer or notebook computer, or a cloud server.

The digital instrument and the composite image display method of the present invention have the function of synthesizing the external system image, mainly by connecting the external device through the digital instrument to obtain the external system image, and after synthesizing the external system image and the basic instrument image into a composite image, that is, The composite image can be displayed on the display screen of the display unit, whereby the digital instrument of the present invention only needs to have the basic instrument image display function and the basic equipment capable of communicating with external devices, without affecting the display of the basic instrument image, namely can be externally The device obtains external system images and synthesizes the display, thereby achieving the effect of low cost, high versatility, and greatly improved display function of the digital instrument.

100: Digital Meter

10: Instrument image storage unit

20: Image processing unit

30: Display unit

31: Display screen

40: External system image receiving unit

41: Decoder

A: External device

P1: Basic instrument image

P101: Speed sign

P102: Directional sign

P103: Oil warning sign

P104: Water temperature warning sign

P105: Time display sign

P106: Fixed-width light sign

P107: Battery indicator

P108: ABS indicator

P109: Engine self-check mark

P110: Tire pressure display sign

P111: High beam indicator

P112: Keys away from warning signs

P2: Alien system image

P3: Composite image

Z1: The first display area

Z2: Second display area

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a unit included in a digital instrument and a communication connection with an external device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of a digital instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of displaying a basic instrument image on a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of synthesizing a basic instrument image and an external system image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of displaying a composite image on a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the purpose, features and effects of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail by the following specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings, which are described below.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 5 , the present invention provides a digital instrument 100 with a function of synthesizing external system images and a method for displaying the synthesized images, which are mainly applied to vehicles (not shown in the drawings), such as two-wheeled vehicles. Or for vehicles with more than four wheels, the two-wheeled vehicles, such as fuel locomotives or electric locomotives, are mainly installed on the faucet of the locomotive; the vehicles with more than four wheels, such as cars, trucks or ATVs, are installed in front of the driver's seat. Lord, the vehicle described above is only a preferred embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this. Any vehicle that needs to be installed with an instrument belongs to the scope of application and protection of the present invention.

A digital meter 100 with a function of synthesizing external system images provided by the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 , includes a meter image storage unit 10 , an image processing unit 20 , a display unit 30 , and an external system image receiving unit 40, and its circuit schematic diagram is also shown in Figure 2, wherein:

The instrument image storage unit 10 stores a basic instrument image P1. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the basic instrument image P1 includes a speed sign P101, a direction indication sign P102, a fuel quantity warning sign P103, a water temperature warning sign P104, a time display sign P105, and a fixed-width light sign. P106, battery indicator P107, ABS indicator P108, engine self-inspection indicator P109, tire pressure indicator P110, high beam indicator indicator 111, and key away warning indicator P112 and other images, but the basic instrument image P1 of this embodiment has images such as P106. The included images are only an embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this, that is, the basic instrument image P1 may include only a single image (for example, only the speed sign P101), or more than the above listed images. Therefore, the symbols that can be displayed by the instrument as images belong to the category that can be displayed by the basic instrument image P1.

The image processing unit 20 is electrically connected to the instrument image storage unit 10 , and the image processing unit 10 accesses the basic instrument image P1 from the instrument image storage unit 10 . In a preferred embodiment, the image processing unit 20 is a microcontroller (Microcontroller Unit, MCU) as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and all those that can achieve the processing function of image synthesis belong to the image of the present invention The category of the processing unit 20 .

The display unit 30 is electrically connected to the image processing unit 20. The display unit 30 has a display screen 31. The image processing unit 20 normally displays the accessed basic instrument image P1 on the display screen 31 (as shown in FIG. 3). In a preferred embodiment, the display unit 30 is a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), but the invention is not limited thereto.

The external system image receiving unit 40 is electrically connected to the image processing unit 20 , and the external system image receiving unit 40 can be connected to an external device A in communication. The image processing unit 20 can be processed by an external system The image receiving unit 40 receives an external system image P2 (as shown in FIG. 4 ) generated by the external device A, synthesizes the external system image P2 and the basic instrument image P1 into a composite image P3, and displays the composite image P3 on the display screen 31 (as shown in Figure 5). In a preferred embodiment, the external system image receiving unit 40 includes a decoder 41 (Decoder), and the decoder 41 performs decoding processing on the external system image P2 so that the external system image P2 can be displayed on the display screen 31 .

Continuing from the above, the communication link between the external system image receiving unit 40 and the external device A may be a wired communication link or a wireless communication link. Wherein, the wired communication link is, for example, a video interface such as USB (Type-A/B/C), HDMI, and CVBS; the wireless communication link may be Wi-Fi, RFID, etc. , or wireless transmission technologies such as Bluetooth. The present invention is not limited to the above examples of wired or wireless communication connection, and any technology that can achieve the communication connection between the external system image receiving unit 40 and the external device A belongs to the scope of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the external device A is a portable smart phone, but the present invention is not limited to this, such as a portable device such as a tablet computer or a notebook computer, or a cloud server that can connect to the Internet. The remote communication connector, as long as it can provide the external system image P2 independently of the digital instrument 100, belongs to the category of the external device A of the present invention.

The method for displaying a composite image provided by the present invention is implemented by a digital instrument 100 in this embodiment, wherein the instrument image storage unit 10 stores a basic instrument image P1 , and the image processing unit 20 stores the instrument image storage unit 10 from the instrument image storage unit 10 . Taking the basic instrument image P1, when the digital instrument 100 communicates with the external device A through the external system image receiving unit 40, the external system image P2 generated by the external device A is received by the image processing unit 20 through the external system image receiving unit 40, and synthesized The external system image P2 and the base instrument image P1 are a composite image P3 , and the composite image P3 is displayed on the display screen 31 .

In a preferred embodiment, the composite image P3 includes a first display area Z1 and a second display area Z2 (as shown in FIG. 5 ) displayed on the display screen 31 , wherein the first display area Z1 displays the basic instrument image P1 , the second display area Z2 displays the external system image. Preferably, the composite image P3 is further superimposed on the external system image P2 and covers the part of the basic instrument image P1 to form the first display area Z1 and the second display area Z2.

In this preferred embodiment, the external system image P2 is an example of a user interface projected by a smartphone (as shown in FIG. 4 ), which is superimposed on the display screen 31 when it is combined with the basic instrument image P1. The basic instrument image P1 is within the range originally displayed. As shown in FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the area displayed in the middle part of the basic instrument image P1, including the locomotive image and its surrounding signs, is replaced by the part covered by the external system image P2, which is synthesized into a composite image P3 and displayed in The display screen 31 is displayed. At this time, the second display area Z2 is displayed in the first display area Z1 and overlapped.

Continuing from the above, the part covered by the external system image P2 is the one that does not necessarily need to be displayed when the vehicle is driving and can be ignored. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the basic instrument image P1 can still be displayed on the display screen 31 when the vehicle is driving. Images (such as the speed sign P101, the direction indication sign P102, the fuel quantity warning sign P103, and the water temperature warning sign P104, etc.), while the ABS indication sign P108, the tire pressure display sign P110, the key away warning sign P112, and the locomotive image are It is not displayed for the time being, so the combination with the external system image P2 will not affect the display of the original basic instrument image P1, thereby achieving the integration effect of displaying the external system image P2 in the basic instrument image P1. Compared with the external system image P2 and the basic instrument image P1 that are simply presented as split screens in the display screen 31, the display effect of the external system image P2 superimposed on the basic instrument image P1 is not only more integrated, but also easier for users to use watch.

In different implementations, the positions and sizes of the above-listed symbols P101 to P112 included in the basic instrument image P1 are not necessarily fixed on the display screen 31 as in the above-mentioned embodiment. Unchanged, which means that when the basic instrument image P1 and the external system image P2 are synthesized, the above-mentioned images such as the signs P101 to P112 included in the basic instrument image P1 can be adjusted in the position and size displayed on the display screen 31 according to the settings; Furthermore, in the composite image P3 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the basic instrument image P1 is superimposed by the external system image P2 and the covered part is completely hidden, but this is only an implementation aspect of the present invention. In different implementation aspects, for example, When the composite image P3 is displayed on the display screen 31 , the external system image P2 superimposed on and overlaid on the basic instrument image P1 can also be distinguished by transparency. For example, the external system image P2 displayed in the composite image P3 is displayed in a state of low transparency and less transparency. It can be clearly seen that the part of the basic instrument image P1 superimposed by the external system image P2 is displayed in a high and relatively transparent state and is slightly visible. At this time, the part of the basic instrument image P1 in the composite image P3 superimposed by the external system image P2 is still Visible in the display screen 31 . In this way, the image arrangement and display when the basic instrument image P1 and the external system image P2 included in the display screen 31 are synthesized can be more flexible.

From the above description, it is not difficult to find that the present invention is characterized in that, the present invention uses the digital instrument 100 to communicate with the external device A to obtain the external system image P2, and after synthesizing the external system image P2 and the basic instrument image P1 into a composite image P3, The composite image P3 can be displayed on the display screen 31 of the display unit 30 , so that the digital instrument 100 has the function of synthesizing external system images by using the composite image display method. Therefore, the digital instrument 100 of the present invention only needs to have the display function of the basic instrument image P1 and the external system image receiving unit 40 to be able to communicate with the external device A, then the external system image P2 can be obtained from the external device A and synthesized and displayed. The display of the image P3 will not affect the display function of the basic instrument image P1 on the display screen 31 , and the digital instrument 100 and its composite image display method of the present invention are generally applicable to various types of external devices A, thereby achieving the digital instrument 100 with Low cost, high versatility, and the effect of greatly improving the display function.

The present invention has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, but those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments are only used to describe the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that all changes and substitutions equivalent to this embodiment should be considered to be included within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the patent application.

100: Digital Meter

10: Instrument image storage unit

20: Image processing unit

30: Display unit

31: Display screen

40: External system image receiving unit

41: Decoder

A: External device

P1: Basic instrument image

P2: Alien system image

P3: Composite image

Claims (9)

A digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images, which is applied to a vehicle, comprising: an instrument image storage unit, which stores a basic instrument image; an image processing unit, which is electrically connected to the instrument image storage unit, the image The processing unit accesses the basic instrument image from the instrument image storage unit; a display unit is electrically connected to the image processing unit, the display unit has a display screen, and the image processing unit normally displays the accessed basic instrument image on the display screen; and an external system image receiving unit electrically connected to the image processing unit, the external system image receiving unit can communicate with an external device, and the image processing unit can receive the external system through the external system image receiving unit The device generates an external system image, and synthesizes the external system image and the basic instrument image into a composite image and displays it on the display screen; wherein a part of the basic instrument image is superimposed and covered by the external system image, and the part is The alien system image is completely hidden instead. The digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is a thin film transistor liquid crystal display. The digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images according to claim 1, wherein the external system image receiving unit communicates with the external device, which is a wired communication link or a wireless communication link. The digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external system image receiving unit includes a decoder for decoding the external system images. The digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images as described in claim 1, wherein the basic instrument image includes an hourly speed sign, a direction indication sign, a fuel quantity warning sign, a water temperature warning sign, a time display sign, and a fixed-width light sign. , at least one of the battery indicator, the ABS indicator, the engine self-check indicator, the tire pressure indicator, the high beam indicator, and the key away warning indicator. The digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images as described in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a two-wheeled fuel locomotive or an electric locomotive, or a four-wheeled car, truck or ATV. The digital instrument with the function of synthesizing external system images according to claim 1, wherein the external device is a portable smart phone, tablet computer or notebook computer, or a cloud server. A synthetic image display method of a digital instrument with the function of synthesizing an external system image, the digital instrument is applied to a vehicle and includes an image processing unit and an instrument image storage unit, a display unit and an external system image receiving unit. The composite image display method includes the following steps: storing a basic instrument image with the instrument image storage unit; the image processing unit accessing the basic instrument image from the instrument image storage unit; The external system image receiving unit is communicatively connected to an external device, the image processing unit receives an external system image generated by the external device through the external system image receiving unit, and synthesizes the external system image and the basic instrument image into a composite image; A part of the basic instrument image is superimposed and covered by the external system image, and the part is replaced by the external system image to be completely hidden; and the composite image is displayed on a display screen of the display unit. The composite image display method according to claim 8, wherein the composite image comprises a first display area and a second display area displayed on the display screen, the first display area displays the basic instrument image, the second display area The display area displays the foreign system image.

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