JP2007147816A - On-vehicle display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle display apparatus capable of improving operability and usability when an external apparatus such as a portable information terminal and a game apparatus is connected thereto. <P>SOLUTION: The on-vehicle display apparatus for respectively displaying images on a first screen and a second screen which are formed on a common display part and can be observed from different visual fields has an external apparatus connection terminal 155 for connecting an external apparatus 500. When the external apparatus 500 is connected to the external apparatus connection terminal 155, an external apparatus image indicating the connection of the external apparatus is displayed on at least one of the first screen and the second screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle display device provided, for example, between a driver seat and a passenger seat of a vehicle.

As a so-called multi-view display device that can visually recognize images from different fields of view on a common display panel, for example, a parallax barrier is provided in front of the liquid crystal panel, and the traveling direction of light from the backlight is distributed for each pixel. Thus, there is known one that can display different information (images) on the left and right (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By mounting such a display device on the vehicle, the passenger in the passenger seat can watch other images such as a television while the driver is watching the navigation image.
JP 2005-78080 A

By the way, as a source of images and sounds of the multi-view display device as described above, there are various navigation systems, CDs, DVDs, TVs, and the like. For example, information from external devices such as portable information terminals and game devices, etc. Is displayed on the screen, and these external devices can be operated on the display device side, the usefulness of the multi-view display device is further enhanced.
However, for example, when an external device is connected to the multi-view display device, it is thought that if an image notifying the connection is automatically displayed on the screen, the usability of the external device is improved. Displaying an image relating to an external device on the screen is not preferable from the viewpoint of safe driving.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to improve operability and ease of use when connecting external devices such as portable information terminals and game machines. The object is to provide an in-vehicle display device.

A vehicle-mounted display device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a vehicle-mounted display device that displays images on first and second screens that are formed on a common display unit and can be viewed from different fields of view, respectively. An external device detecting means for detecting an external device capable of transmitting and receiving information, and detecting the external device indicates that information can be transmitted to and received from the external device on at least one of the first and second screens; It is characterized by displaying images for external devices.
According to this configuration, when an external device capable of transmitting and receiving information is detected, whether it is wired or wireless, an external device image indicating that information can be transmitted and received is automatically displayed on the screen. Improved usability.

An in-vehicle display device according to the present invention is an in-vehicle display device that displays images on first and second screens that are formed on a common display unit and can be viewed from different fields of view, and connects an external device. When an external device is connected to the external device connection terminal, an image for the external device indicating that the external device is connected to at least one of the first and second screens is displayed. It is characterized by that.
According to this configuration, since the image for the external device is displayed according to the connection of the external device, the connection state can be easily recognized.

In the above configuration, a configuration in which an image for an external device is displayed on one of the first and second screens can be used.
According to this configuration, if the external device image can be displayed on only one of the two screens, the other screen is not obstructed. For example, if the image for the external device can be displayed only on the passenger seat side screen while the vehicle is running, it is possible to prevent the driving from being hindered.

In the above configuration, when an external device image is selected, an external device operation screen for operating the external device can be displayed.
According to this configuration, an image for operating an external device can be displayed simply by selecting and operating the external device image, and the external device can be operated using the display screen.

In the above configuration, it is possible to adopt a configuration having selection means for selecting a screen on which an image for external device is displayed from among the first and second screens.
According to this configuration, it is possible to freely select a screen on which an external device image is displayed according to the user's intention.

In the above configuration, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the image for the external device is displayed on the screen on which the operation right is set out of the first and second screens.
According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the other screen from being operated by giving the operation right to the screen displaying the external device image.

  A display method for an in-vehicle display device according to the present invention is a display method for an in-vehicle display device that displays images on first and second screens that are formed on a common display unit and can be viewed from different fields of view. When an external device capable of transmitting / receiving information is detected, an image for external device indicating that information can be transmitted / received to / from the external device is displayed on at least one of the first and second screens. .

  According to the present invention, in a multi-view display device that can visually recognize images from different fields of view on a common display panel, operability and convenience when an external device is connected are improved.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a basic configuration of a vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, this in-vehicle display device includes a display control unit 10, a display unit 100, and the like.
The display control unit 10 is supplied with the image data (image signal) DT1 from the first image source 300A and the image data (image signal) DT2 from the second image source 300B. The image data (image signal) ADT composed of the image data DT 1 and DT 2 is output to the common display unit 100. A specific configuration of the display control unit 10 will be described later.
The first and second image sources 300A and 300B are composed of a plurality of sources such as a camera, a TV receiving unit, a DVD playback unit, an HD playback unit, and a navigation unit, which will be described later.

  As will be described later, the display unit 100 includes a liquid crystal panel, a backlight, a parallax barrier, and the like, and the first image IM1 based on the first image data DT1 can be viewed from the right by the observer OBR. The second image IM2 based on the second image data DT2 is displayed on the common display screen so that the observer OBL can visually recognize from the left direction. A specific configuration of the display unit 100 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the in-vehicle display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the display unit of the in-vehicle display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The apparatus main body 100A of the in-vehicle display device shown in FIG. 2 is built in the dashboard portion of the vehicle, and the display unit 100 is disposed between the driver seat DS and the passenger seat AS as shown in FIG. .
An occupant seated in the driver's seat DS becomes the observer OBR, and an occupant seated in the passenger seat AS becomes the observer OBL. These passengers can simultaneously view different first images IM1 and second images IM2 displayed on the display unit 100 from the driver seat DS side or the passenger seat AS side, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 100 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons 151, an operation right switch button 152, a mode switch button 153, an external device connection terminal 155, and the like on both sides of a liquid crystal panel 110 and a touch panel 130 described later. ing.
The plurality of operation buttons 151 are buttons for various operations of the display device.
The mode switching button 153 is different from the single display mode in which the same image is displayed on the driver seat side screen and the passenger seat side screen based on a single image source, and the driver seat side screen and the assistant on the basis of a different or the same image source. This is a button for switching between dual display modes capable of displaying images on the seat side screen.

The operation right switching button 152 is a button for switching the priority between the operation on the driver seat screen and the operation on the passenger seat screen among the operations of the operation button 151 and the touch panel 130 in the dual display mode. For example, when a navigation image is displayed on the driver's seat screen and a DVD image or the like is displayed on the passenger's seat screen, the touch panel 130 or the plurality of operation buttons 151 are displayed on the passenger seat screen. If the user tries to change it, the navigation image on the driver's seat side may change. Similarly, when the user tries to change the screen on the driver's seat side by operating the touch panel 130 or the plurality of operation buttons 151, the navigation image on the passenger seat side may change. In order to prevent this, the operation right switching button 152 selectively gives the operation right of the touch panel 130 or the plurality of operation buttons 151 to one of the driver seat side and the passenger seat side.
The external device connection terminal 155 is a terminal for connecting an external device such as a portable information terminal such as a playback device for music or images, a game device, or the like. By connecting an external device to the external device connection terminal 155, images and sounds provided by the external device can be viewed on the display device.

  4 to 10 are diagrams showing a specific configuration of the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the display device, and FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the control unit. 6 is a functional block diagram of the first and second image quality adjustment circuits, FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the image output unit, FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the sectional structure and operation of the liquid crystal panel, and FIG. A front view of the panel and FIG. 10 are circuit diagrams of the TFT substrate.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the display unit 100, the display device includes a control unit 20, a distribution circuit 30, first and second image quality adjustment circuits 50A and 50B, an image output unit 70, and the like. . The display control unit 10 includes a control unit 20, a distribution circuit 30, first and second image quality adjustment circuits 50A and 50B, an image output unit 70, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 20 includes a processor (CPU) 21, an interface 22, a ROM 23, a RAM 24, and the like, and comprehensively controls the display device according to a program stored in the ROM 23.
Further, as will be described later, the control unit 20 controls the visible range of the first image IM1 and the second image separated from each other by the overlap of the first image IM1 and the second image IM2 displayed on the display unit 100. The visible range of IM1 is controlled to be within a predetermined range by adjusting the image quality of at least one of the first image IM1 and the second image IM2.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 20 includes a camera 310 that captures the surroundings of the vehicle as a supply source that is mounted on the vehicle and supplies images and sound, and a CD / MD (compact disc) that reproduces music and images. / Mini-disc) Music information and images from a playback unit 320, a radio reception unit 330 that receives radio broadcast waves from an antenna, a TV reception unit 340 that receives TV broadcast waves from an antenna via a selector, and a DVD (digital versatile disc). Based on the DVD reproduction unit 350 to be reproduced, the HD reproduction unit 360 to reproduce the image and music information recorded on the HD (hard disk), the road information received by the VICS information reception unit 371 and the geographical information received by the GPS information reception unit 372. Navigation unit 370 for outputting a map or route guidance image, the above-mentioned external device connection terminal 155, etc. It is continued, control these as well as exchange data between these.
The control unit 20 automatically detects insertion / removal of a plug (not shown) of the external device 500 with respect to the external device connection terminal 155. That is, the control unit 20 functions as an external device detection unit that detects an external device capable of transmitting and receiving information.
A specific process when the insertion / extraction of the external device 500 with respect to the external device connection terminal 155 is automatically detected will be described later.
Further, the control unit 20 includes an external memory 140 for storing various data, an operation unit 150 for operating the display device, a light switch and a light sensor provided in the vehicle, and brightness for detecting the brightness in the vehicle. An occupant detection sensor 200 configured to detect a vehicle occupant, which includes a detection sensor 190 and a pressure-sensitive sensor provided in a driver seat or a passenger seat, is connected, and the control unit 20 performs various operations based on various data obtained from these. Control is possible.

  The operation unit 150 includes a plurality of operation buttons 151, an operation right switch button 152, a mode switch button 153, and the like shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the distribution circuit 30 is supplied from the camera 310, the CD / MD playback unit 320, the radio reception unit 330, the TV reception unit 340, the DVD playback unit 350, the HD playback unit 360, the navigation unit 370, and the like. The audio data and image data to be processed are distributed to the audio adjustment circuit 60, the first image quality adjustment circuit 50A, or the second image quality adjustment circuit 50B in accordance with a control command from the control unit 20.

  The audio adjustment circuit 60 adjusts the audio data supplied from the distribution circuit 30 and outputs it to the speaker 61 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first and second image quality adjustment circuits 50A and 50B are each composed of a contrast adjustment unit 51, a luminance adjustment unit 52, a color tone adjustment unit 53, a gamma value adjustment unit 54, and the like. The image quality (contrast, brightness, color tone, gamma value) of the first and second image data is adjusted respectively according to the control command from.

As shown in FIG. 7, the image output unit 70 includes first and second documents in which the first and second image data adjusted in image quality by the first and second image quality adjustment circuits 50A and 50B, respectively, are written. Embedded circuits 71 and 72, a VRAM (Video RAM) 73, a liquid crystal panel driving unit 74, and the like.
The first and second writing circuits 71 and 72 are respectively set to predetermined addresses of the VRAM 73 in order to synthesize the first and second image data adjusted in image quality by the first and second image quality adjusting circuits 50A and 50B. Write.
The VRAM 73 holds image data obtained by combining the first and second image data. The synthesized image data corresponds to each pixel of the display unit 100.
The liquid crystal panel drive unit 74 is a circuit that drives a liquid crystal panel 110 described later, and drives corresponding pixels of the liquid crystal panel 110 based on the composite image data held in the VRAM 73.

As shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 100 includes a liquid crystal panel 110, a backlight 120 that illuminates illumination light from the back side of the liquid crystal panel 110, a touch panel 130 for inputting a signal for operating the display device, and the like. .
Although not shown, the touch panel 130 is formed in a transparent sheet shape and is attached to the front surface of the liquid crystal panel 110.

As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal panel 110 is a color filter substrate having a polarizing plate 111, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) substrate 112, a liquid crystal layer 113, and pixels of three primary colors RGB arranged in order from the backlight 120 side. 114, a parallax barrier 115, a glass plate 116, a polarizing plate 117, and the like.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the liquid crystal panel 110 has a display screen in which, for example, 800 pixels in the horizontal direction and 480 pixels in the vertical direction are arranged. Pixels 118 (hereinafter also referred to as passenger seat side display pixels 118) and right side display pixels 119 (hereinafter also referred to as driver seat side display pixels 119) are alternately arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the parallax barrier 115 is formed in a stripe shape and includes a shielding part and a light-transmitting part. The shielding part is formed by the adjacent left display pixel 118 and right display pixel 119. Arranged between. By disposing the parallax barrier 115 on the front surface of the color filter substrate 114, the illumination light transmitted through the left display pixel 118 selectively passes through the light-transmitting part of the parallax barrier 115 selectively toward the left side, and is displayed on the right side. Of the illumination light transmitted through the pixel 119, only the illumination light directed toward the right side selectively passes through the light transmitting portion of the parallax barrier 115. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the first image IM1 can be viewed from the right side (driver's seat side) of the liquid crystal panel 110, and the second image IM2 can be viewed from the left side (passenger seat side). ing.
The parallax barrier 115 can be the same as those disclosed in JP-A-10-123461 and JP-A-11-84131.

As shown in FIG. 10, the TFT substrate 112 includes a data line driving circuit DR1, a scanning line driving circuit DR2, scanning lines SCL arranged in the vertical direction, data lines DTL arranged in the horizontal direction, scanning lines SCL and data lines. Each of the regions surrounded by the scanning line SCL and the data line DTL constitutes a sub-pixel SBP. The pixel electrode EP is formed corresponding to the TFT element EL formed in each region intersecting with the DTL. The sub-pixels SBP in each column along the data line DTL are alternately assigned to the left display pixel 118 and the right display pixel 119.
The data line driving circuit DR1 is controlled in its driving timing by the liquid crystal panel driving unit 74, and controls the voltage applied to the pixel electrode EP.
The scanning line driving circuit DR2 selectively scans the TFT element EL by controlling the driving timing by the liquid crystal panel driving unit 74.

  Here, a driving principle of a TN (Twisted Nematic) type liquid crystal as an example of the liquid crystal will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. In the TN type liquid crystal, as shown in FIG. If the twisted liquid crystal is sandwiched between two polarizing filters Fa and Fb (polarizing plates) with the polarization directions orthogonal to each other, the light entering from above is twisted 90 degrees along the gap between the liquid crystal molecules. It can pass through the filter Fb. As shown in FIG. 11B, when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal, the liquid crystal molecules stand upright and are twisted, and light entering from above is directed downward and cannot pass through the lower filter Fb. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, light is transmitted when no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal molecules, and when the voltage is applied, the light is blocked and becomes black on the screen, and the liquid crystal functions as a light shutter by the voltage. Fulfill. For this reason, the brightness can be controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the liquid crystal. Further, by controlling the voltage applied to the liquid crystal corresponding to the left display image and the right display image, it is possible to control the luminance of the left image and the right image.

  The memory 140 is configured by, for example, an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or a battery-backed volatile memory, and stores data necessary for control by the control unit 20. The vehicle information such as the steering wheel position of the vehicle is stored and held.

Next, an example of display control by the control unit 20 related to the external device 500 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 15.
First, when the mode switching button 153 shown in FIG. 3 is operated to switch from the single display mode to the dual display mode, the driver seat side screen (D seat screen) and the passenger seat side screen (P seat screen) are different. Each image can be displayed from the image source.
For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, a navigation image can be displayed as the D seat image, and a TV image and various operation images can be displayed as the P seat image.

In order for the operator on the P seat side to operate the P seat image, the operation right switching button 152 is operated to switch the operation right to the P seat screen.
In this state, for example, when an operation button (audio mode button) in the P seat image shown in FIG. 13A is selected, the P seat image is displayed on various audio visual devices as shown in FIG. 13B, for example. The screen changes to the selection screen.

When the operator on the P seat side connects the external device 500 described above to the external device connection terminal 155 in the state shown in FIG. 13B, the control unit 20 detects this, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown, the external device image IMA is displayed on the P seat screen. When the external device 500 is disconnected from the external device connection terminal 155, the control unit 20 detects this and deletes the external device image IMA from the P seat screen.
The external device image IMA is an image indicating that an external device is connected to the external device connection terminal 155, and is an image indicating that information can be transmitted to and received from the external device.

Then, when the external device image IMA is selected on the screen in the state shown in FIG. 14A, for example, the external device operation image IMP for operating the external device 500 as shown in FIG. 14B. Is displayed on the P seat screen. Thus, the operator can operate the external device 500 by selecting and operating the external device operation image IMP.
For example, when the external device 500 is a music playback device using a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive, the music selection operation and the playback operation can be performed based on the operation screen IMP as shown in FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration for displaying the image for the external device after switching from the single display mode to the dual display mode has been described. For example, when the external device is connected to the external device connection terminal in the single display mode state. It is also possible to automatically switch to the dual display mode and display an external device image on at least one of the two screens.

  In the above embodiment, the case where a single external device connection terminal is provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of external device connection terminals may be provided. When two external devices are connected, information about each external device can be displayed on two screens. For example, when the game device is an external device, it is possible to play a game that can be enjoyed simultaneously by a plurality of people, such as a battle game, using two screens.

In the above embodiment, the case where the image for the external device is displayed on the screen on the P seat side has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be displayed on the screen on the D seat side. is there.
Since it is not preferable from the viewpoint of safe driving to display the image for the external device on the screen on the D seat side while the vehicle is traveling, the image for the external device and the external device are displayed only on the screen on the P seat side during the traveling. It is preferable that a screen for device operation be displayed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the external device image is displayed on the screen on which the operation right is set has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the external device image is displayed on the screen without the operation right. It is also possible.

  In the above embodiment, when the external device is disconnected from the external device connection terminal, a warning (for example, sound or display) can be given before the external device image is deleted. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to notify that the connection of the external device has been interrupted unintentionally by the user. Also, after erasing, it is possible to display a source selection screen and an image of the source viewed before connecting the terminals.

  In the embodiment described above, it is possible to automatically determine the type of connected external device and display a screen corresponding to the external device.

  In the above-described embodiment, when an external device is initially connected, a selection image (icon) or menu is displayed on the passenger seat side screen, and then the screen is switched to the driver seat side in order to confirm the display contents. It is also possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the image for the external device is displayed on the screen on which the operation right is set has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the screen for displaying the image for the external device is selected. It is also possible to provide a selection button (selection means) so that the user can select a screen on which the external device image is displayed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the external device connection terminal is provided in the display device and it is detected whether the plug of the external device is inserted therein. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case of an external device such as a Bluetooth standard that uses a short-range wireless communication to exchange information with a display device or an external device such as a portable information terminal, information about the external device is obtained using a wireless signal or the like. It is good also as a structure which detects that can be transmitted / received, and displays the image for external devices on a screen according to this. Further, in a state where information is actually being transmitted and received (connected state), a corresponding external device image may be displayed on the screen.

It is a figure for demonstrating the basic composition of the display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of application to the vehicle of a display apparatus. It is a front view of a display apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of a display apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of a control part. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the 1st and 2nd image quality adjustment circuit. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of an image output part. It is a figure which shows the cross-section of a display part. It is a front view of a liquid crystal panel. It is a circuit diagram of a TFT substrate. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement principle of a liquid crystal. It is a figure for demonstrating the function of the liquid crystal as a shutter. It is a figure which shows an example of the image displayed on the screen for passenger seats and the screen for passenger seats before connecting an external apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the image displayed on the screen for passenger seats and the screen for passenger seats after connecting an external apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Display control part 20 ... Control part 30 ... Distribution circuit 50A, 50B ... 1st and 2nd image quality adjustment circuit 60 ... Audio | voice adjustment circuit 70 ... Image output part 100 ... Display part 110 ... Liquid crystal panel 120 ... Backlight 130 ... Touch panel 140 ... Memory 150 ... Operation unit 151 ... Operation button 152 ... Operation right switch button 153 ... Mode switch button 155 ... External device connection terminal 190 ... Brightness detection sensor 200 ... Occupant detection sensor 300A, 300B ... Image source 310 ... Camera 320 ... CD / MD playback unit 330 ... radio reception unit 340 ... TV reception unit 350 ... DVD playback unit 360 ... HD playback unit 370 ... navigation unit 500 ... external device DS ... driver's seat (D seat)
AS ... Passenger seat (P seat)
IMA ... Image for external device IMP ... Screen for external device operation

Claims (7)

An in-vehicle display device that displays images on first and second screens that are formed on a common display unit and can be viewed from different fields of view,
An external device detecting means for detecting an external device capable of transmitting and receiving information, and detecting the external device indicates that information can be transmitted to and received from the external device on at least one of the first and second screens; A vehicle-mounted display device that displays an image for an external device. An in-vehicle display device that displays images on first and second screens that are formed on a common display unit and can be viewed from different fields of view,
An external device connection terminal for connecting an external device is provided. When the external device is connected to the external device connection terminal, the external device is connected to at least one of the first and second screens. An on-vehicle display device characterized by displaying an image for an external device indicating the above. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an image for an external device is displayed only on one of the first and second screens. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein when the external device image is selected, an external device operation screen for operating the external device is displayed. 5. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit that selects a screen for displaying the image for the external device from the first and second screens. The on-vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the external device image is displayed on a screen on which an operation right is set out of the first and second screens. A display method for an in-vehicle display device that displays images on first and second screens that are formed on a common display unit and can be viewed from different fields of view, respectively.
When an external device capable of transmitting and receiving information is detected, an image for external device indicating that information can be transmitted to and received from the external device is displayed on at least one of the first and second screens.
A display method for a vehicle-mounted display device.

Images