JP2007168494A - Information output device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information output device capable of enhancing the operating easiness. <P>SOLUTION: If in the accommodated condition, a monitor 21 is put in the exposed condition by a monitor displacement driving means 23 when judgement is passed that the image should be displayed. Meanwhile in the exposed condition, the monitor 21 is put in the accommodated condition by the monitor displacement driving means 23 when judgement is passed that only the sound should be displayed. The user can omit the operation to enter a monitor exposure command when he watches the image on the monitor 21. Also the user can omit the operation to enter a monitor accommodation command when he listens to only the sound through a speaker 21. Thereby the operations of the information output device can be simplified to lead to enhancement of the operating easiness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information output device that outputs video and sound and can be switched between an exposure state in which a monitor is exposed to a housing and a storage state in which the monitor is stored. In particular, the present invention relates to an information output device mounted on a vehicle.

  An information output device that outputs information stored in a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like may be mounted on the vehicle. For example, the in-vehicle disc output device disclosed in Patent Document 1 outputs sound information stored on a disc without displaying a menu when a CD is inserted and the vehicle is running. Further, for example, the navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 2 stops the display of the video information stored in the video disk and detects the navigation display when the vehicle travel is detected during the display of the video information stored in the video disk. I do.

  Some of such information output devices are stored in a storage space formed in an instrument panel portion. Also, some information output devices have drive means for driving the monitor to be displaced, and the monitor is driven to be displaced so that the monitor is exposed from the storage space and the monitor is stored in the storage space. And can be switched. When not displaying video on the monitor, by storing the monitor in the storage space, it is possible to improve the appearance of the instrument panel part, and when the user operates an instrument provided in the instrument panel part, for example, an air conditioning switch, This prevents the monitor from obstructing the user's operation.

JP-A-9-161389 JP 2003-21520 A

  When displaying the video information stored in the video disk when the monitor is in the stowed state, the user inserts the video disk into the disk insertion slot and the operation for switching the monitor to the exposure state. There are two operations that need to be performed. Further, when adjusting the temperature inside the vehicle when the monitor is in an exposed state, the user needs to perform two operations, an operation for switching the monitor to the housed state and an operation for operating the air conditioning switch.

  As described above, in the information output device of the prior art, the user often needs to perform an operation for switching the monitor state, and there is a problem that the operability is low. Such a problem occurs even in devices other than the in-vehicle device.

  In addition, when light from a light source such as sunlight enters the monitor, the reflected light reflected from the monitor may make it difficult for the user to view video information displayed on the monitor. In this case, the user needs to manually change the angle of the monitor in order to make it easier to see the video information displayed on the monitor, and there is a problem that the operability is also low.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information output device capable of improving operability.

The present invention (1) includes a display means configured to display an image and be switchable between a housed state housed in the housing and an exposed state exposed from the housing;
Displacement driving means for driving the display means to change, and switching the state of the display means from one of the housed state and the exposed state to the other state;
Information acquisition means for acquiring information to be output;
Determining that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video information indicating a video, and generating a video output command when determining that the video information should be output;
In response to the video output command generated by the video output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be exposed by the displacement driving unit, and the video information acquired by the information acquisition unit is displayed by the display unit. And an output control means.

  According to the present invention (1), when the display means is in the storage state, the video output determination means gives a video output command to the output control means when determining that the video information acquired by the information acquisition means should be displayed. . Accordingly, the output control unit controls the displacement driving unit to expose the display unit from the housing, and causes the display unit to display the video information acquired by the information acquisition unit. As a result, the user can view the video information displayed on the display means.

  As described above, when the video output determining means determines that the video should be displayed, the display means is exposed without requiring any user operation. Thus, even when the display means is in the retracted state, the user does not need to separately give a command for exposing the display means to the information output device, and the video displayed on the display means can be displayed by exposing the display means. It becomes possible to see.

The present invention (2) further includes an insertion detecting means for detecting that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means,
The information acquisition means includes storage medium reading means capable of reading information stored in a storage medium,
The video output determining means determines that the storage medium has been inserted based on the detection result of the insertion detecting means, and the information stored in the storage medium inserted by the reading result of the storage medium reading means is video information. Is determined, the video output command indicating that the video information read by the storage medium reading means should be displayed is generated.

  According to the invention (2), when a storage medium is inserted into the storage medium reading means by a user or the like, the insertion detecting means detects that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means. Next, the storage medium reading unit reads information stored in the storage medium, and gives the read information to the video output determination unit. The video output determining means determines that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means based on the detection result from the insertion detecting means, and the information stored in the storage medium based on the reading result of the storage medium reading means is video information. If it is determined that there is, it is determined that the video information stored in the storage medium should be displayed, and a video output command is given to the output control means.

The present invention (3) further includes an input means for inputting a display command for displaying video information acquired by the designated information acquisition means among the one or more information acquisition means,
The video output determination unit generates the video output command indicating that the video information acquired by the designated information acquisition unit should be displayed based on a display command input to the input unit. .

  According to the invention (3), when a display command is input to the input means by a user or the like, the video output determination means determines that video information should be displayed, and sends the video output command to the output control means. give. The output control means exposes the display means from the housing and displays the video information acquired by the information acquisition means on the display means in response to the given video output command.

The present invention (4) is an information output device mounted on a vehicle,
When an imaging information output command for displaying video information captured by an imaging unit that captures the surroundings of the vehicle is input to the input unit,
The video output determination unit generates the video output command indicating that video information captured by the imaging unit is to be displayed.

  According to the invention (4), when a driver or the like boarding the vehicle performs a predetermined driving operation, an imaging information output command for displaying video information captured by the imaging unit is input to the input unit, and the video output is performed. The judging means generates a video output command. In this case, in response to the video output command generated by the video output determination unit, the output control unit exposes the display unit from the casing, displays the video information captured by the imaging unit, and displays the acquired video information. To display.

Further, the present invention (5) is a display means configured to display an image and be switchable between a housed state housed in the housing and an exposed state exposed from the housing;
Displacement driving means for driving the display means to shift, and switching the display means from one state of the storage state and the exposure state to the other state,
Sound generating means for generating sound;
Information acquisition means for acquiring information to be output;
When it is determined that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video non-display sound information indicating only sound without displaying video, and it is determined that the video non-display sound information should be output, video non-display is determined. Sound output determination means for generating a display sound output command;
In response to the video non-display sound output command generated by the sound output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be in the storage state by the displacement driving unit, and the video non-display sound information acquired by the information acquisition unit Output control means for generating sound information included in the sound generation means by means of sound generation means.

  According to the invention (5), when the display means is in an exposed state, the sound output determination means outputs a video non-display sound output command when it is determined that only the sound should be displayed without displaying the video. Give to the means. Thus, the output control means controls the displacement driving means to house the display means in the housing, and the sound generation means generates the sound information acquired by the information acquisition means. As a result, the user can hear the sound information generated by the sound generating means.

  As described above, when the sound output determining means determines that only sound should be generated without displaying an image, the sound output determining means puts the display means in the housed state without requiring any user operation. Thus, even when the display means is in an exposed state, the user does not need to separately give an instruction for storing the display means to the information output device, and the sound generated by the sound generation means is stored in the display means. Can be heard.

Further, the present invention (6) differs from the display means in that it includes another display means for displaying the output state of the sound generating means at least in a state where the display means is exposed from the housing in the accommodated state. In addition,
The output control means displays the output state of the sound generation means on another display means in response to the video non-display sound output command generated by the sound output determination means.

  Further, according to the present invention (6), when the sound output determining means determines that only sound is generated, the display means is in the accommodation state, and the sound information included in the video non-display sound information acquired by the information acquiring means Is generated from the sound generating means. At this time, the output control means displays the output state of the sound generating means on another display means different from the display means housed in the housing. As a result, the user can grasp the output state of the sound generating means, and the convenience can be improved. For example, the output state of the sound generator means the volume level, the frequency component of the sound to be generated, and when the generated sound is music recorded on a CD, the song name, singer name, number of tracks, playback time, and generated sound are When transmitted from a radio broadcast, the radio station frequency, current time, etc.

The present invention (7) further includes an insertion detecting means for detecting that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means,
The information acquisition means includes storage medium reading means capable of reading information stored in a storage medium,
The sound output determination means determines that a storage medium has been inserted based on the detection result of the insertion detection means, and information stored in the storage medium inserted based on the read result of the storage medium reading means is video non-display sound information. If it is determined, the video non-display sound output command indicating that the sound information included in the video non-display sound information read by the storage medium reading means should be generated is generated.

  According to the invention (7), when a storage medium is inserted into the storage medium reading means by a user or the like, the insertion detecting means detects that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means. The storage medium reading unit reads information stored in the storage medium and supplies the read information to the sound output determination unit. The sound output determining means determines that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means based on the detection result from the insertion detecting means, and the information stored in the storage medium is displayed based on the reading result of the storage medium reading means. If it is determined that only the sound information is not received, it is determined that only the sound information stored in the storage medium should be generated, and video non-display sound information is provided to the output control means.

According to the present invention (8), an input for generating a sound generation command for generating sound information included in video non-display sound information acquired by a specified information acquisition unit among one or a plurality of information acquisition units is input. Further comprising means,
The sound output determining means indicates the video non-display indicating that sound information included in the video non-display sound information acquired by the designated information acquiring means should be generated based on a sound generation command input to the input means. A display sound output command is generated.

  According to the present invention (8), when a sound generation command is input to the input means by a user or the like, the sound output determination means determines that only sound information should be generated, and the video non-display sound output command Is given to the output control means. The output control means generates sound information included in the video non-display sound information acquired by the information acquisition means in response to a given video non-display sound output command, and causes the display means to be in the casing. Store.

Further, the present invention (9) is a display means configured to display an image and be switchable between a housed state housed in the housing and an exposed state exposed from the housing;
Displacement driving means for driving the display means to change, and switching the state of the display means from one of the housed state and the exposed state to the other state;
Sound generating means for generating sound;
Information acquisition means for acquiring information to be output;
Output control means for controlling the displacement driving means, the display means and the sound generating means;
Determining that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video information indicating a video, and generating a video output command when determining that the video information should be output;
When it is determined that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video non-display sound information indicating only sound without displaying video, and it is determined that the video non-display sound information should be output, video non-display is determined. Sound output determination means for generating a display sound output command,
The output control means is
In response to the video output command generated by the video output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be exposed by the displacement driving unit, and the video information acquired by the information acquisition unit is displayed by the display unit. Let
In response to the video non-display sound output command generated by the sound output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be in the storage state by the displacement driving unit, and the video non-display sound information acquired by the information acquisition unit The sound information included in is generated by sound generating means.

  According to the invention (9), when the video output judging means judges that the video should be displayed when the display means is in the retracted state, the video output judging means gives a video output command to the output control means and the displacement driving means. The display means is exposed. When the sound output determining means determines that only the sound should be displayed when the display means is in an exposed state, the sound output determining means gives a video non-display sound output command to the output control means, and the display means is stored by the displacement driving means. Let me.

Further, the present invention (10) includes a display means configured to display an image and to be tiltable with respect to a predetermined reference state;
Tilt drive means for tilting the display means;
A calculation means for calculating a relative position between the position of the light source and the display means;
The tilting position of the display means is calculated based on the calculation result of the calculation means so as to avoid the reflected light of the display means with respect to the light source passing through the area where the passenger's head position is arranged or the vicinity thereof. An information output device comprising tilt control means for controlling tilt drive means according to the result.

  According to the invention (10), the relative position calculating means calculates the relative position between the light source position and the display means. The tilt control means is based on the position of the display means with respect to the position of the light source, so that the reflected light of the display means with respect to the light source does not pass through the region where the head position of the occupant is disposed or in the vicinity of the region. The display means is tilted. Thereby, the tilt control means can tilt the display means for the purpose of preventing the visibility of the display means from being lowered due to the light source. As the light source, for example, sunlight, moonlight, a room light that is an interior light, or a headlamp of another vehicle located behind the vehicle is assumed.

The present invention (11) is an information output device mounted on a vehicle,
Own vehicle position detecting means for detecting the position and posture of the vehicle;
Clock means for outputting the time including the month and day;
A solar information database that stores the solar position according to the date and time,
The calculating means calculates the relative position between the position of the sun serving as the light source and the display means based on the detection result of the own vehicle position detecting means, the output result of the clock means, and the solar information database. To do.

  According to the invention (11), the display means mounted on the vehicle changes its position relative to the sun as the vehicle moves. In this invention, the relative position of the display means with respect to the sun which changes according to the movement of the vehicle can be calculated.

The present invention (12) further includes vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information indicating the shape and position of the window and roof in the vehicle to be mounted and the position of the display means with respect to the vehicle,
The tilt control means controls the tilt driving means based on the vehicle information given from the vehicle information acquisition means.

  According to the invention (12), the tilt control means can vary the tilt state of the display means according to the type of the vehicle mounted. As a result, tilting of the display means according to the vehicle can be realized, and the position of the display means relative to the position of the sun can be calculated more accurately. For example, when sunlight is blocked by a roof provided on the vehicle, sunlight does not enter the display means. In this case, in the present invention, the tilting of the display means can be stopped.

Further, the present invention (13) further includes passenger information acquisition means for acquiring passenger information indicating a position of a predetermined body part of a passenger boarding the vehicle with respect to the vehicle,
The tilt control means controls the tilt driving means based on the passenger information acquired by the passenger information acquisition means.

  According to the invention (13), the position of a predetermined body part is acquired as the occupant information for the occupant on the vehicle, and the tilting of the display means is controlled based on the occupant information.

The present invention (14) is mounted on a vehicle.
Further, according to the present invention (14), it is possible to reduce the labor spent on the operation of the information output apparatus. By being mounted on the vehicle, the time spent for operating the information output device can be reduced, so that the time spent for driving the vehicle can be increased, and it is possible to concentrate on driving.

  According to the present invention (1), the user can omit an operation of inputting a command to expose the display unit from the casing when viewing the video on the display unit. Therefore, the operation leading to the output of the video information can be simplified, and the operability of the information output device can be improved.

  According to the present invention (2), since the display means is exposed from the housing only by the user inserting the storage medium storing the video information into the storage medium reading means, the user exposes the display means. The operation of inputting a power command can be omitted. As a result, the operation leading to the output of the video information can be simplified, and the operability of the information output device can be improved.

  According to the present invention (3), since the display means is exposed only by the user inputting a display command, the user can omit an operation of inputting a command for exposing the display means. As a result, the operation leading to the output of the video information can be simplified, and the operability of the information output device can be improved.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the driver can omit the operation of inputting a command to expose the display unit and can view the video information captured by the imaging unit on the display unit. As a result, the operation leading to the output of the video information can be simplified, and the operability of the information output device can be improved.

  For example, when a monitoring camera is provided at the rear of the vehicle, the driver sets the shift lever to the back position, so that the input means receives an imaging information output command for displaying video information captured by the monitoring camera, and outputs control. The means controls the displacement driving means and the display means. In this case, the driver can display the video information of the rear of the vehicle on the display means only by setting the shift lever to the back position, and can monitor the rear of the vehicle without performing any troublesome operations. Thereby, the operation of the vehicle relating to the backward movement can be performed smoothly.

  According to the present invention (5), when the user listens to only the sound with the sound generating means, the user can omit an operation of inputting a command to store the display means in the housing. As a result, the operation of the information output apparatus can be simplified and the operability can be improved. Moreover, unnecessary display means for listening to only the sound can be stored in the housing, and the display means can be prevented from interfering with other operations of the user after the sound is generated. It can improve the appearance.

  According to the present invention (6), when sound is generated by the sound generation means in a state where the display means for displaying an image is housed in the housing, the user can grasp the output state of the sound. It is possible to improve convenience.

  According to the present invention (7), since the display means is housed in the housing simply by the user inserting the storage medium storing only the sound information into the storage medium reading means, the user can It is possible to omit an operation of inputting an instruction to store the. As a result, the operation of the information output apparatus can be simplified and the operability can be improved.

  According to the present invention (8), since the display means is stored only by the user inputting a sound generation command, the user can omit an operation of inputting a command for storing the display means. As a result, the operation of the information output apparatus can be simplified and the operability can be improved.

  According to the present invention (9), the user can omit an operation of inputting a command to expose the display unit when viewing the video on the display unit. Further, the user can omit an operation of inputting a command for storing the display means when only the sound is heard from the sound generation means. As a result, the operation of the information output apparatus can be simplified and the operability can be improved.

  According to the present invention (10), it is possible to make the video displayed on the display means easier to see by preventing the visibility of the display means from being lowered due to a light source such as sunlight. In addition, the user can save time and effort to tilt the display means in order to recover the decrease in the visibility of the display means due to a light source such as sunlight, and the operability can be improved.

  According to the present invention (11), in order to recover the decrease in the visibility of the display means caused by sunlight, it is possible to save time and effort to tilt the display means in accordance with the movement of the vehicle, thereby improving the operability. be able to.

  According to the present invention (12), it is possible to more reliably prevent the visibility of the display means from being lowered due to sunlight, and to prevent unnecessary tilting operation of the display means.

  According to the present invention (13), the tilting of the display means can be made different for each passenger, and the deterioration of the visibility of the display means due to sunlight can be prevented more reliably.

  According to the present invention (14), it is possible to reduce the labor spent on the operation of the information output apparatus. By being mounted on the vehicle, the time spent for operating the information output device can be reduced, so that the time spent for driving the vehicle can be increased, and it is possible to concentrate on driving.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information output device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing an instrument panel portion 30 of a vehicle provided with the information output device 20. is there. 2A shows a state where the monitor 21 is exposed from the housing 29, and FIG. 2B shows a state where the monitor 21 is stored in the housing 29. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the information output device 20 when the monitor 21 is in the display state, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing the information output device 20.

  The information output device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a car audio device mounted on an instrument panel portion 30 (hereinafter referred to as an instrument panel portion 30) of a vehicle. The information output device 20 includes a housing 29 that is housed in the internal space of the instrument panel portion 30 of the vehicle. The information output device 20 also has a monitor 21 that displays video.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the monitor 21 is configured to be switchable between an exposed state exposed to the housing 29 and a housed state housed in the internal space of the housing 29. When the monitor 21 is switched to the exposure state, the display screen is exposed from the instrument panel portion 30. This allows the user to see the display screen. When the monitor 21 is switched to the storage state, the display screen is stored in the internal space of the instrument panel portion 30. As a result, the periphery of the instrument panel portion 30 can be cleared, and the appearance of the instrument panel portion 30 can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information output device 20 includes a casing 29, a speaker 22, a monitor 21, a monitor displacement drive unit 23, a storage medium reading unit 24, an insertion detection sensor 25, an operation unit 26, The calculation unit 27 and the storage unit 28 are included.

  The housing 29 is configured so that at least the monitor 21 can be exposed and stored, and fits in the internal space of the instrument panel portion 30. In the present embodiment, the housing 29 is formed in a substantially cubic shape. The monitor 21 serves as a display unit, and displays a video on the display screen according to the output information given from the calculation unit 27. Further, as described above, the monitor 21 is configured to be switchable between an exposure state and a storage state by being displaced. In the present embodiment, the monitor 21 in the exposed state is exposed from the housing 29 in a state where the display screen is arranged substantially vertically, and the monitor 21 in the housed state is arranged substantially horizontally with the display screen facing downward. In a state of being stored in the housing 29.

  The monitor displacement driving means 23 is an actuator that drives the monitor 21 to displace. Can be switched.

  In the present embodiment, when the monitor 21 is switched from the housed state to the exposed state, the monitor displacement driving means 23 displaces the monitor 21 in the housed state in the forward direction parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 29 to move the monitor 21. Is escaped from the housing 29. Next, the monitor 21 is angularly displaced in one circumferential direction around an angular displacement axis that extends horizontally and orthogonal to the forward direction. As a result, the display screen of the monitor 21 rises substantially vertically, and the monitor 21 is exposed.

  When the monitor 21 is switched from the exposed state to the stowed state, the monitor displacement driving means 23 angularly displaces the monitor 21 in the exposed state to the other circumferential direction around the angular displacement axis, and the display screen of the monitor 21 is parallel to the bottom surface. To make sure Next, the monitor 21 is moved in the reverse direction opposite to the forward direction. As a result, the monitor 21 is housed in the housing 29, and the monitor 21 enters the housed state.

  The monitor displacement driving means 23 can switch the monitor 21 from the housed state to the exposed state and from the exposed state to the housed state based on the monitor displacement command given from the computing means 27. For example, the monitor displacement driving means 23 includes a motor built in the housing and a power transmission mechanism such as a slider for transmitting the driving force of the motor.

  The storage medium reading unit 24 inserts the storage medium 31 from the insertion port 32 and conveys the inserted storage medium 31 to a predetermined reading position. The storage medium reading unit 24 is configured to be able to read information stored in the storage medium 31 conveyed to the reading position. The storage medium reading unit 24 reads information stored in the storage medium 31 and gives the read information to the calculation unit 27 when a reading command is given from the calculation unit 27. Therefore, the storage medium reading unit 24 serves as an information acquisition unit that acquires information to be output.

In the present embodiment, the storage medium 31 is a CD (Compact Disk) and a DVD (Digital
The storage medium reading means 24 is realized by a CD / DVD drive device that can read the disk 31. The storage medium reading unit 24 conveys the disk 31 inserted from the insertion port 32 to a reading position set in the housing 29 and reads information stored on the disk 31 at the reading position. The storage medium reading unit 24 is configured such that the disk 31 can be inserted regardless of whether the monitor 21 is exposed or stored.

  The insertion detection sensor 25 serves as an insertion detection unit that detects that the disk 31 has been inserted into the insertion slot 32. The insertion detection sensor 25 is realized by, for example, an optical sensor having a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit. In this case, the amount of light incident on the light receiving portion changes depending on whether or not the disc 31 is inserted, and whether or not the disc 31 is inserted can be detected by detecting the change in the amount of light. The insertion detection sensor 25 gives information indicating whether or not the disk 31 is inserted to the calculation means 27.

  The operation means 26 becomes an input means for inputting a command from the user. The operation means 26 gives information indicating the inputted predetermined command to the calculation means 27. For example, the operation means 26 is realized by an operation unit such as a switch or a button provided exposed from the housing 29. In this case, a command from the user is input when the user presses a predetermined operation unit. Further, the operation means 26 may be an operation body provided separately from the housing 29, that is, a so-called remote controller. In this case, when the user operates the remote control, the operation information on the remote control may be given to the calculation means 27 by radio or wire.

  The speaker 22 serves as sound generation means for generating sound, and generates sound according to the output information given from the calculation means 27. In the present embodiment, the speaker 22 is arranged at a position different from the housing 29. The monitor 21 and the speaker 22 serve as output means for outputting predetermined information.

  The computing unit 27 controls the monitor 21, the speaker 22, and the monitor displacement driving unit 23 based on information given from the storage medium reading unit 24, the insertion detection sensor 25, the operation unit 26, and the like. The calculation means 27 is an output determination means 46 that determines the output form and output timing of information, and an output control means that controls the monitor 21, the speaker 22, and the monitor displacement drive means 23 based on the determination result of the output determination means 46. 47.

  The output determination unit 46 serves as both the video output determination unit and the sound output determination unit. The video output determining unit determines that the information on the disk 31 read by the storage medium reading unit 24 is information indicating a video, and generates a video output command when determining that the video information should be output. The sound output determining means determines that the information on the disk 31 read by the storage medium reading means 24 is video non-display sound information indicating only sound without displaying the video, and outputs the video information. If it is determined that it should be, a video non-display sound output command is generated.

  Further, when the video output command is generated by the output determining unit 46, the output control unit 47 responds to the video output command by the monitor displacement driving unit 23 to displace the monitor 21 so as to be in an exposure state. The video information read by the storage medium reading unit 24 is displayed on the monitor 21. In addition, when the output non-display sound output command is generated by the output determination unit 46, the output control unit 47 monitors the display non-display sound output command by the monitor displacement driving unit 23 so as to enter the accommodation state. 21 is displaced, and the sound shown in the video non-display sound information read by the storage medium reading unit 24 is generated by the speaker 22.

  The calculation means 27 is realized by including a calculation element such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and becomes an output determination means 46 by executing a predetermined determination program. Whether the video information should be output or not, the sound information should be output. Determine whether or not. The computing means 27 becomes an output control means 47 by executing a predetermined control program, and controls each means 21, 22, 23 to be controlled.

  The storage means 28 is realized by including storage elements such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the calculation means 27 determines the output form and output timing of the information. A control program for controlling each means 21, 22, 23 is stored. In this case, the calculation means 27 reads the determination program and the control program stored in the storage means 28 and executes the program. The storage means 28 also serves to temporarily store information necessary for controlling the respective means 21, 22 and 23 to be controlled by the calculation means 27.

  The computing unit 27 implements a plurality of operation units by executing a determination program and a control program stored in the storage unit 28. Specifically, the computing means 27 implements a disk insertion determination unit 41, a monitor state determination unit 42, an output information determination unit 43, a monitor displacement command unit 44, and an output information generation unit 45. The disk insertion determination unit 41 determines whether or not the disk 31 has been inserted based on information given from the insertion detection sensor 25. For example, when the current value given from the light receiving portion of the insertion detection sensor 25 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the disk 31 has been inserted into the insertion slot 32.

  The monitor state determination unit 42 determines whether the monitor 21 is in an exposed state or a stored state. For example, the monitor state determination unit 42 determines the state of the monitor 21 based on information provided from a monitor state detection sensor that detects the monitor state. Further, for example, the monitor state determination unit 42 stores in the storage unit 28 command information when the calculation unit 27 has previously driven the displacement of the monitor 21, and reads the information from the storage unit 28, thereby The state of 21 is judged.

  The output information determination unit 43 determines the type of information to be output. In the present embodiment, based on the information given from the storage medium reading unit 24, it is determined whether at least video should be output or only sound should be output.

  Specifically, the output information determination unit 43 outputs video and sound simultaneously or outputs only video when the information acquired from the disk 31 by the storage medium reading unit 24 includes at least video information. to decide. The output information determination unit 43 determines that only the sound is output when the information acquired from the disk 31 by the storage medium reading unit 24 is only the sound information that does not include video.

  Hereinafter, information including at least video information is referred to as video-containing information. Information including only sound information without including video information is referred to as video non-display sound information. A disk in which video content information is stored is called a video disk. For example, as a video disk, a DVD in which information is stored in accordance with DVD-Video, which is one of DVD standards, can be cited. Another video disk is a CD in which information is stored in accordance with Video CD, which is one of the CD standards. The video disc may be one in which information is stored in accordance with other standards as long as the video can be reproduced. Here, the video information included in the video content information may be moving image information or still image information. The video information is video information to be displayed on the monitor 21 that can be switched between the exposure state and the storage state.

  A disk in which video non-display sound information is stored is referred to as a video non-display sound disk. For example, a DVD in accordance with DVD-Audio, which is one of DVD-related standards, can be cited as a video non-display sound disk. As another video non-display sound system disk, a CD conforming to CD-DA (Compact Disk Digital Audio), which is one of CD-related standards, can be cited. The video non-display sound system disc may be one in which information is stored in accordance with other standards as long as sound can be reproduced.

  When the information stored in the disk 31 is given by the storage medium reading unit 24, the output information determination unit 43 decodes the information based on the standard of CD or DVD stored in the storage unit 28. Then, the output information determination unit 43 determines whether the information stored in the disk 31, that is, the information to be output, is video content information or video non-display sound information. Therefore, the output determination unit 46 includes a disk insertion determination unit 41, a monitor state determination unit 42, and an output information determination unit 43.

  The monitor displacement command unit 44 gives a monitor displacement command to the monitor displacement drive unit 23 based on the determination result of the monitor state determination unit 42 and the determination result of the output information determination unit 43. Specifically, the monitor displacement command unit 44 gives a monitor exposure command to the monitor displacement driving means 23 when determining that the monitor 21 is in the housed state and the information to be output is video content information. When the monitor displacement command unit 44 determines that the monitor 21 is in an exposed state and the information to be output is video non-display sound information, the monitor displacement command unit 44 gives a monitor storage command to the monitor displacement drive unit 23.

  The output information generation unit 45 gives a disk reading command to the storage medium reading unit 24, and generates output information for outputting information from the information supplied from the storage medium reading unit 24. Then, the output information is given to the corresponding output means. For example, when the information provided from the storage medium reading unit 24 is video information, output information obtained by converting the information provided from the storage medium reading unit 24 into information that can be displayed on the monitor 21 is generated. give. Further, for example, when the information given from the storage medium reading means 24 is sound information, output information obtained by converting the information given from the storage medium reading means 24 into information that can be generated by the speaker 22 is generated, and the information is sent to the speaker. 22 Therefore, the output control means 47 includes a monitor displacement command unit 44 and an output information generation unit 45.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the computing means 27. When the preparatory state such as the monitor 21, the speaker 22, and the monitor displacement driving unit 23 being connected to the controllable state is completed and the control signal is input, the arithmetic unit 27 proceeds to step a <b> 1. In step a1, when it is determined that the disk 31 has been inserted into the insertion slot 32 based on information given from the insertion detection sensor 25 by the disk insertion determination unit 41, the process proceeds to step a2. The calculating means 27 stands by in step a1 until the disk 31 is inserted into the insertion slot 32.

  In step a2, if the monitor state determination unit 42 determines that the monitor 21 is in the exposed state, the process proceeds to step a3, and if not, the process proceeds to step a7. In step a3, when the output information determination unit 43 determines that the information stored in the disk 31 is video content information, the output determination unit 46 determines that at least the video should be displayed on the monitor 21, and outputs the video. A command is generated, and the process proceeds to step a4. In step a4, the output control unit 47 gives a disk reading command to the storage medium reading unit 24 in response to the video output command, and converts the information given from the storage medium reading unit 24 by the output information generating unit 45 into output information. Then, the output information is given to the output means to be output.

  For example, when video information and sound information are stored on the disk 31, output information that can be output by the monitor 21 is generated based on the information given from the storage medium reading means 24, and is given to the monitor 21. Outputable output information is generated and given to the speaker 22. As a result, the monitor 21 displays an image stored on the disk 31 and the speaker 22 generates a sound stored on the disk 31.

  For example, when only video information is stored in the disk 31, video information that can be output by the monitor 21 is generated and given to the monitor 21. As a result, the monitor 21 displays the video stored in the disk 31.

  When it is determined that a predetermined termination condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step a5, and the control operation is terminated. For example, as a predetermined termination condition, the output of information stored in the disk 31 is terminated, a stop command is given by a user or the like, a predetermined time has elapsed, and an electronic control unit (ECU) provided in the vehicle For example, it is assumed that a stop command is given.

  In step a3, if the output information determination unit 43 determines that the information stored in the disk 31 is not video content information, in other words, the information stored in the disk 31 is video non-display sound information, only the sound is output from the speaker. 22 determines that it should be generated, generates a video non-display sound output command, and proceeds to step a6. In step a6, in response to the video non-display sound output command, the output control unit 47 gives a monitor storage command to the monitor displacement drive unit 23 so that the monitor 21 is in the storage state by the monitor displacement command unit 44. Proceed to step a4. In step a4, the output control means 47 gives a disk reading command to the storage medium reading means 24 in response to the video non-display sound output command, and outputs the information given from the storage medium reading means 24 by the output information generating section 45. The information is converted into information and the output information is given to the output means to be output.

  In this case, since only the sound information is stored in the disk 31, sound information that can be output by the speaker 22 is generated and given to the speaker 22. As a result, the speaker 22 generates the sound stored in the disk 31. When it is determined that a predetermined termination condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step a5, and the control operation is terminated.

  In step a2, when the monitor state determination unit 42 determines that the monitor 21 is not in the exposed state, in other words, the monitor 21 is in the retracted state, the process proceeds to step a7. In step a7, when the output information determination unit 43 determines that the information stored in the disk 31 is video content information, the output determination unit 50 determines that at least the video should be displayed on the monitor 21, and outputs the video. A command is generated, and the process proceeds to step a8. In step a8, in response to the video output command, the output control means 47 gives a monitor exposure command to the monitor displacement driving means 23 so that the monitor 21 is in the exposure state by the monitor displacement command section 44. move on. In step a7, when the output information determination unit 43 determines that the information stored in the disk 31 is not video content information, in other words, the information stored in the disk 31 is video non-display sound information, the output determination unit 50 Determines that only sound should be generated from the speaker 22, generates a video non-display command, and proceeds to step a4.

  In step a4, the output control means 47 gives a disk reading command to the storage medium reading means 24 as described above, and the output information generating section 45 converts the information given from the storage medium reading means 24 into output information. The output information is given to the output means to be output. When it is determined that a predetermined termination condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step a5, and the control operation is terminated.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the displacement driving state of the monitor 21 when the video disk 31a is reproduced through step a8. 6 (1) shows the state before the monitor 21 is inserted and the video system disc is inserted, and FIG. 6 (2) shows the state after the video system disc is inserted. In the present embodiment, when the user inserts the video disk 31a into the insertion slot 32 in a state where the monitor 21 is housed in the housing 29, the monitor 21 does not receive a new command from the user. It is automatically exposed from the housing 29 and at least video information is displayed on the monitor 21.

  Therefore, the user can view the video information displayed on the monitor 21 only by inserting the video disk 31a. That is, the user omits the input operation of the monitor exposure command for exposing the monitor 21 and the disk playback command for reproducing the disk 31 when viewing the video stored in the video disk 31a on the monitor 21. Thus, the operation leading to the output of the video information can be simplified, and the operability of the information output device 20 can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the monitor 21 can be brought into an exposed state more quickly than when the user separately inputs a monitor exposure command. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time spent for preparing to view the video displayed on the monitor 21. Therefore, the user can quickly view the video displayed on the monitor 21 after inserting the video disk 31a, and the convenience can be improved.

  If the preparation for reproducing the video disk 31a is completed before the monitor 21 reaches the exposed state, the output control means 47 reproduces the video disk 31a after the monitor 21 reaches the exposed state. It is preferable. This prevents the start of playback of the video disk 31a before the monitor 21 is exposed, thereby preventing the user from overlooking the video displayed on the monitor 21 and improving convenience. it can.

  When the output control means 47 determines that the predetermined end condition is satisfied in step a4, the calculation means 27 may give a monitor storage command to the monitor displacement drive means 21. As a result, the user can omit the operation of inputting the monitor storage command after the reproduction of the video disk 31a, and can further improve the operability of the information output apparatus 20.

  For example, it is possible to improve the appearance of the instrument panel portion 30 by storing the monitor 21 after the reproduction of the video disk 31a. Further, when the monitor 21 is not necessary, by storing the monitor 21 in the instrument panel portion 30, the instrument of the instrument panel portion 30 can be easily seen and the operation unit 33 of the instrument panel portion 30 can be easily operated.

  In the present embodiment, reproducing the video disk 31a means that the video information stored in the video disk 31a is reproduced in order, and a menu screen for setting the video is displayed on the monitor 21. It also means that In this case, the user may be configured to be able to set in advance whether the video information is reproduced in order or the menu screen is displayed. This can further improve convenience.

  Further, the automatic exposure operation function of the monitor 21 by the calculating means 27 shown in FIG. 5 can be stopped by inputting a setting command by the user. In this case, the operation means 26 is an input means for inputting a monitor switching command for switching the state of the monitor 21 and an input means for inputting a stop command for the exposure operation function of the monitor 21. The storage means 28 is a setting means for storing the presence / absence of the monitor automatic exposure operation.

  When the monitor automatic exposure function is disabled in the storage means 28, the output determination means 46 of the calculation means 27 should display an image due to the insertion of the video disk 31a into the insertion slot 32. Even if it judges that, the monitor displacement drive means 23 is not controlled. In this case, when the monitor exposure command is input from the operation unit 26 by the user, the calculation unit 27 puts the monitor 21 into the exposure state. Accordingly, when the control of the monitor displacement driving means 23 by the output control means 47 is set to be invalid by the setting means for setting the presence / absence of control of the monitor displacement driving means 23, the output control means 47 displays the display state on the operation means 26. Only when a switching command is input, the display state of the monitor 21 is switched.

  Even if the output determining means 46 determines that the video should be displayed due to the video disk 31a being inserted into the insertion slot 32 by setting the setting means to be invalid, the output control means 47 Does not control the monitor displacement driving means 23, and the monitor 21 is prevented from being undesirably exposed from the housing 29. In this case, when an exposure command is input to the operation unit 26 by the user, the output control unit 47 causes the monitor displacement driving unit 23 to expose the monitor 21 from the housing.

  By making it possible to set the presence or absence of the automatic exposure function of the monitor 21 in this way, the operation of exposing the monitor 21 from the housing 29 can be switched to either automatic or manual according to the user's preference, Convenience can be improved.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining the displacement driving operation of the monitor 21 when the video non-display sound disk 31b is reproduced through step a6. FIG. 7 (1) shows a state in which the monitor 21 is in an exposed state before the video non-display sound system disk is inserted, and FIG. 7 (2) shows a state after the video non-display sound system disk is inserted. In the present embodiment, when the user inserts the video non-display sound system disk 31b into the insertion slot 32 with the monitor 21 exposed from the housing 29, the monitor 21 is automatically operated even if no instruction is given from the user. The sound is generated from the speaker 22 while being housed in the housing 29.

  Therefore, the user can store the monitor 21 and listen to the sound generated by the speaker 22 simply by inserting the video non-display sound disk 31b. In other words, the monitor 21 that is unnecessary when listening to only the sound can be automatically stored in the housing 29, and the monitor 21 can be prevented from interfering with other operations of the user after the start of sound generation. it can. In this case, the user can omit the operation of inputting the monitor storage instruction, and the operability of the information output apparatus 20 can be improved.

  For example, when only the sound information is generated, the appearance of the instrument panel portion 30 can be improved by housing the monitor 21. Further, when the monitor 21 is not necessary, by storing the monitor 21 in the instrument panel portion 30, the instrument of the instrument panel portion 30 can be easily seen and the operation unit 33 of the instrument panel portion 30 can be easily operated.

  Further, the automatic storing operation function of the monitor 21 by the calculating means 27 shown in FIG. 5 can be stopped by inputting a setting command by the user. In this case, the operation unit 26 is an input unit that receives a monitor state switching command for switching the state of the monitor 21 and an input unit that receives a stop command for the storage operation function of the monitor 21. The storage means 28 is a setting means for storing the presence / absence of an automatic monitor storage operation in the calculation means 27.

  If the automatic storage function of the monitor is set to be invalid in the storage means 28, the output judgment means 46 of the calculation means 27 will only make a sound due to the video non-display sound disk 31 b being inserted into the insertion slot 32. Even if it is determined that the monitor should be generated, the monitor displacement driving means 23 is not controlled. In this case, when the monitor storage instruction of the monitor 21 is input from the operation unit 26 by the user, the calculation unit 27 puts the monitor 21 into the storage state. Accordingly, when the control of the monitor displacement driving means 23 by the output control means 47 is set to be invalid by the setting means for setting the presence / absence of control of the monitor displacement driving means 23, the output control means 47 displays the display state on the operation means 26. Only when a switching command is input, the display state of the monitor 21 is switched.

  Even if the output determining unit 46 determines that only the sound should be generated due to the video non-display sound disk 31b being inserted into the insertion slot 32 by setting the setting unit to be invalid, The output control means 47 does not control the monitor displacement driving means 23, and the monitor 21 is prevented from being undesirably accommodated from the housing 29. In this case, when an accommodation command is input to the operation means 26 by the user, the output control means 47 causes the monitor 21 to be accommodated in the housing 29 by the monitor displacement driving means 23.

  Thus, by making it possible to set the presence or absence of the automatic storage function of the monitor 21, the operation of the monitor 21 being stored in the housing 29 can be switched to either automatic or manual according to the user's preference, Convenience can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the information output apparatus 20 has a sub-display 48 that is another display means different from the monitor 21 that displays video. The sub display 48 is exposed from the housing 29 at least when the monitor 21 is in the accommodated state. The sub display 48 can display simple information and can display at least the output state of the sound generating means.

  For example, in the sub display 48, in addition to information such as time, date and day of the week, etc., as the sound information output state of the speaker 22, the volume level, the frequency component of the generated sound, the operation menu, and the generated sound are recorded on the CD. In the case of music, the song name, singer name, number of tracks, playback time, and sound generated are transmitted from a radio broadcast so that the radio station frequency, current time, etc. can be displayed.

  When the output determining means 46 generates a video non-display sound output command, the output control means 47 of the computing means 27 responds to the video non-display sound output command and outputs at least the sound information output state by the speaker 22 to the sub-display 48. Operation information related to the output of sound information or sound information.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when sound information is generated from the speaker 22 in a state where the monitor 21 is in the housed state, sound related information related to the sound information is displayed on the sub display 48 exposed from the housing 29. Thus, the user can grasp the sound related information related to the sound information, and the convenience can be improved. Further, by displaying simple information on the sub-display 48, it is possible to prevent the sub-display 48 from being enlarged and to reduce the size of the information output device. Further, the output control means 47 may display some information on the sub-display 48 even when a video is displayed on the monitor 21 or when no sound or video is output.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the monitor 21 can automatically appear and disappear according to the type of the disk, and convenience can be improved. When the disk 31 is a video non-display sound system disk 31b, it is not necessary to expose the monitor 21, and the operation menu is displayed on the sub-display 48, so that the sound can be output without exposing the monitor 21. Operations can be performed. When the disk 31 is the video disk 31a, the monitor 21 is exposed and an image is displayed on the monitor 21. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the information output device 20 includes the sub-display 48 that is always exposed and the monitor 21 that can be moved in and out of the housing 29, and the monitor 21 is started up in accordance with the type of the disk 31. In addition to controlling the lowering, whether to display information on the monitor 21 or the sub-display 48 is controlled according to the type of the disk 31.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to output information in the information output device 20 with fewer operations required by the user. Therefore, by mounting the information output device 20 on the vehicle, when the driver operates the information output device 20, the effort spent on operating the information output device 20 is reduced, and the time spent on driving the vehicle is increased. Can make it easier to concentrate on driving. The information output apparatus 20 may perform either one of the automatic exposure operation and the automatic storage operation of the monitor 21.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the information output apparatus 120 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The information output device 120 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a configuration similar to that of the information output device 20 according to the first embodiment, and the same configuration as the information output device 20 according to the first embodiment is similar. Reference numerals are assigned and description is omitted.

  The information output device 120 is a car audio device mounted on the instrument panel portion 30 of the vehicle. The information output device 120 includes a speaker 22, a monitor 21, a monitor displacement drive unit 23, a storage medium reading unit 24, an operation unit 26, a calculation unit 27, and a storage unit 28. Further, the information output device 120 includes a television tuner 51 and a radio tuner 52.

  The television tuner 51 is one of information acquisition means, receives television information broadcast from a television broadcasting station, and gives the received television information to the computing means 27. The radio tuner 52 is one of information acquisition means, receives radio information broadcast from a radio broadcasting station, and gives the received radio information to the calculation means 27. The operation means 26 also serves as an input means for inputting an output command for outputting television information or radio information from the user. Here, it is assumed that the television information is video-containing information including video information and sound information, and the radio information is video non-display sound information including only sound information. The television information may be digital broadcasting.

  The output information determination unit 43 according to the present embodiment determines whether the information to be output is video content information or video non-display sound information based on the output command given from the operation means 26. For example, when a television output command for outputting television information is given from the operation means 26, it is determined that video and sound are output simultaneously. Further, when a radio output command for outputting radio information is given from the operation means 26, the output information determination unit 43 determines to output only sound. As described above, the information output device 120 is provided with a plurality of information acquisition means 51, 52, and 24, and the calculation means 27 determines the type of information to be output based on the output command given from the operation means 26.

  Further, the output information generation unit 45 of the present embodiment selects an information acquisition unit necessary for acquiring information to be output based on an output command given from the operation unit 26, and receives information from the selected information acquisition unit. To get. Then, output information for outputting information is generated from the acquired information. Then, the output information is given to the corresponding output means. Therefore, the output determination unit 46 includes a monitor state determination unit 42 and an output information determination unit 43.

  For example, when a television output command is given from the operation unit 26, the output information generation unit 45 controls the television tuner 51 and acquires television information from the television tuner 51. Then, from the acquired television information, video information that can be displayed by the monitor 21 is generated, and sound information that can be generated by the speaker 22 is generated. Then, the generated video information is given to the monitor 21, and the generated sound information is given to the speaker 22. The monitor displacement command unit 44 gives a monitor displacement command so that the monitor 21 is exposed.

  For example, when a radio output command is given from the operation unit 26, the output information generation unit 45 controls the radio tuner 52 and acquires radio information from the radio tuner 52. Then, sound information that can be generated by the speaker 22 is generated from the acquired radio information. Then, the generated sound information is given to the speaker 22. The monitor displacement command unit 44 gives a monitor displacement command so that the monitor 21 is in the housed state. Therefore, the output control means 47 includes a monitor displacement command unit 44 and an output information generation unit 45.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the computing means 27. When the preparatory state such as the monitor 21, the speaker 22, and the monitor displacement driving unit 23 being connected to the controllable state is completed and the control signal is input, the arithmetic unit 27 proceeds to step b <b> 1.

  If it is determined in step b1 that an output command has been given based on the information given from the operation means 26, the process proceeds to step b2. The calculating means 27 waits at step b1 until an output command is given.

  In step b2, if the monitor state determination unit 42 determines that the monitor 21 is in the exposed state, the process proceeds to step b3, and if not, the process proceeds to step b7. In step b3, when the output determining means 46 determines that the information to be output is the image containing information based on the output command given from the operating means 26, the output determining means 46 generates a video output command and proceeds to step b4. In step b4, the output control means 47 controls the information acquisition means capable of acquiring the information to be output in response to the video output command, and the output information generation unit 45 outputs the information given from the information acquisition means. The output information is converted into possible output information, and the output information is given to the output means to output. When it is determined that a predetermined end condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step b5 to end the control operation.

  For example, when outputting the television information in step b4, the television information is acquired from the television tuner 51. Based on the television information, output information that can be output by the monitor 21 is generated and provided to the monitor 21, and output information that can be output by the speaker 22 is generated and provided to the speaker 22.

  In step b3, when the output information determination unit 43 determines that the information to be output is video non-display sound information based on the output command given from the operation means 26, a video non-display sound output command is generated. Proceed to step b6. In step b6, in response to the video non-display sound output command, the output control means 47 gives a monitor storage command to the monitor displacement driving means 23 so that the monitor 21 is in the storage state by the monitor displacement command section 44. Proceed to step b4. In step b4, the output control means 47 controls the information acquisition means that can acquire the information to be output in response to the video non-display sound output command, and the information given from the information acquisition means by the output information generation unit 45 Is converted into output information that can be output, and the output information is provided to the output means to be output. When it is determined that a predetermined end condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step b5 to end the control operation.

  For example, in step b4, when outputting radio information, the radio information is acquired from the radio tuner 52. Based on the radio information, output information that can be output by the speaker 22 is generated and given to the speaker 22.

  In step b2, when the monitor state determination unit 42 determines that the monitor 21 is not in the exposed state, the process proceeds to step b7. In step b7, when the output information determination unit 43 determines that the information to be output is video content information based on the output command given from the operation means 26, a video output command is generated, and the process proceeds to step b8. In step b8, in response to the video output command, the output control means 47 gives a monitor exposure command to the monitor displacement driving means 23 so that the monitor 21 is exposed by the monitor displacement command unit 44, and the process goes to step b4. move on. In step b7, if the output / output information determination unit 43 determines that the information to be enhanced is not the image content information, it generates an image non-display command and proceeds to step b4. In step b4, the output control unit 47 controls the information acquisition unit that can acquire the information to be output, and the output information generation unit 45 converts the information provided from the information acquisition unit into output information that can be output. The output information is given to the output means to be output. When it is determined that a predetermined end condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step b5 to end the control operation.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the information output device 20 of the first embodiment described above. That is, the user need only give an output command when viewing the video on the monitor 21, and can omit the operation of inputting the monitor exposure command. Further, when the user listens only to the sound through the speaker 22, the user can receive the sound generated by the speaker 22 by storing the monitor 21 only by giving an output command. That is, the monitor 21 that is unnecessary when listening to only the sound can be automatically stored in the housing 29, and the monitor 21 can be prevented from interfering with other operations of the user after the sound starts. In this case, the user can omit the operation of inputting the monitor storage command, and the operability of the information output device 120 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, as an example that the information to be output is the video content information, it is the television information that can be acquired from the TV tuner 51. However, the video content information may be acquired from other information acquisition means. .

  For example, a reproduction command for reproducing the disk 31 already arranged at the reading position of the storage medium reading unit 24 may be given from the operation unit 26. In this case, as in the first embodiment, the output information determination unit 43 determines whether the information stored in the storage medium, that is, the information to be output, is image-containing information or image It can be determined whether it is display sound information.

  Further, for example, when the information output device 120 has output information storage means 28 for storing video content information and sound information, for example, a hard disk, a reproduction command for reproducing information stored in the hard disk may be given from the operation means 26. . In this case, the calculation means 27 reads the information stored in the hard disk in the same manner as when the storage medium reading means 24 reads the information on the disk 31. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the information stored in the hard disk, that is, the information to be output, is video-containing information or video non-display sound information.

  For example, when the information output device 120 has a network connection means that can be connected to a network such as the Internet, a network image display command may be given from the operation means 26. In this case, the output information determination unit 43 determines that the information to be output is video content information based on the network image display command. Then, the output information generation unit 45 acquires network video provided from the server via the network connection means, generates output information that can be output to the monitor 21, and supplies the output information to the monitor 21. Further, the information acquisition means may be a means for acquiring a navigation image indicating a road map or the like for indicating a moving route that the vehicle should move.

  Further, for example, when the information output device 120 has a sound storage medium reading unit for reproducing a sound storage medium such as an MD (Mini Disk) (registered trademark) or a cassette tape, the operation unit 26 issues a sound storage medium reproduction command. Is given, it can be determined that the information to be output is video non-display sound information. Further, it may be determined that the sound storage medium is inserted into the sound storage medium reading means, and it is determined that the reproduction instruction of the sound storage medium and the information to be output are video non-display sound information. . Further, for example, while radio information is being generated, the video system disk 31a may be inserted into the insertion port 32 of the storage medium reading means 24 so that the automatic exposure of the monitor 21 and the playback operation of the video system disk 31a may be performed.

  When a display command for displaying video information acquired by a designated information acquisition unit among one or a plurality of information acquisition units is input to the operation unit 26, the output determination unit 46 is input to the operation unit 26. The video output command indicating that the video information acquired by the designated information acquisition unit is to be displayed is generated based on the display command to be displayed. As described above, the present embodiment can obtain the same effect as the first embodiment as long as the video content information or the sound information to be output can be acquired, and can reduce the operations required from the user. The operability of the information output device can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the type of information acquisition means is not limited, and a plurality of information acquisition means may be used in combination. Further, the output control device 120 may automatically store the monitor 21 when a predetermined condition is established and it is determined that the video display is finished. Further, similarly to the information output device 20 of the first embodiment, the monitor automatic exposure operation and the monitor automatic storage operation may be switched to either automatic or manual according to the user's preference. This can further improve convenience. In this case, when there are a plurality of information acquisition means to be acquired, whether or not the monitor exposure operation and the storage operation are automatic may be set for each information acquisition means. When sound information is generated from a speaker while the monitor 21 is housed, related information related to the sound information may be displayed on the sub-display 28. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the speaker 22 is provided separately from the information output device 120. However, the information output device 120 and the speaker 22 may be provided integrally.

  Further, when the angle position of the monitor 21 can be adjusted and the user operates the operation means 26, the monitor 21 is exposed and the posture of the monitor 21 is set to a setting position preferred by the user. The means 27 preferably adjusts the posture of the monitor 21 to the set position with the monitor 21 being automatically exposed. As a result, the user can save the trouble of finely adjusting the angle of the monitor 21 from the state in which the monitor 21 is automatically exposed, and can further improve the operability.

  In the present embodiment, the computing unit 27 is provided with the monitor state determining unit 42 for determining whether the monitor 21 is in the retracted state or in the exposed state. However, the monitor state determining unit 42 is not provided. Also good. In this case, when it is determined that an image should be displayed, the monitor 21 is set in the exposed state regardless of the monitor state. If it is determined that only sound should be generated, the monitor 21 is placed in the housed state regardless of the monitor state. Even if it is such a structure, the effect mentioned above can be achieved. In the first and second embodiments, the information output devices 20 and 120 perform both automatic exposure and automatic storage of the monitor 21. However, the information output devices 20 and 120 may perform either one of them. Further, the information output apparatus may include both the configurations of the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information output device 220 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The information output device 220 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has a configuration similar to that of the information output device 20 according to the first embodiment, and the same reference is made to the configuration similar to the information output device 20 according to the first embodiment. Reference numerals are assigned and description is omitted.

  The information output device 220 is a device that is mounted on the instrument panel portion 30 of the vehicle and displays an image around the vehicle on the monitor 21. In this case, the vehicle is provided with imaging means for imaging the surroundings of the vehicle, and in this embodiment, the imaging means is the rear monitoring camera 54 that images the rear of the vehicle.

  The information output device 220 includes a back travel detection unit that detects that the shift lever is set to the back position, a monitor 21, a monitor displacement drive unit 23, and a rear monitoring camera 54 that captures the rear of the vehicle. Is done. For example, the back travel detection unit 53 is realized by an electronic control unit (ECU) provided in the vehicle. When the back running detection unit 53 determines the start or preparation of the back running, the back running detection unit 53 gives a display command for displaying video information captured by the rear monitoring camera 34 to the computing unit 27. Further, the rear monitoring camera 54 gives video information indicating the captured video to the calculation means 27.

  When the display command is given from the back running detection unit 53, the output judging means 46 of the computing means 27 judges that the video information given from the rear monitoring camera 54 should be displayed, and displays the video behind the vehicle on the monitor 21. Let At this time, when the monitor state determination unit 42 determines that the monitor 21 is in the storage state, the calculation unit 27 controls the monitor displacement driving unit 23 to bring the monitor 21 into an exposed state, and causes the monitor 21 to return to the rear of the vehicle. Display video. This eliminates the need for the user to give the calculation means 27 a command to place the monitor 21 in an exposed state, thereby improving convenience.

  Specifically, the video information of the rear of the vehicle can be displayed on the monitor 21 only by the driver adjusting the shift lever to the back position, and the rear of the vehicle can be monitored without performing any troublesome operations. Thereby, the operation of the vehicle relating to the backward movement can be performed smoothly.

  When the shift lever is adjusted to the parking position or the vehicle is locked and a predetermined rearward movement completion command is given from an electronic control unit or the like, the output judging means 46 of the computing means 27 automatically turns the monitor 21 on. You may be in the storage state. This can further improve convenience. Note that the information output device 220 of the third embodiment may be used also as the information output devices 20 and 120 of the first or second embodiment.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information output device 320 according to the fourth embodiment of this invention. The information output device 320 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a monitor 61 that displays a predetermined video, and can adjust the posture of the monitor 61 according to the position of the light source. In the present embodiment, the light source is set to the sun. The information output device 320 according to the fourth embodiment is a car audio device mounted on a vehicle.

  The information output device 320 includes a monitor 61, display information acquisition means 62, operation means 63, monitor tilt means 64, output control means 65, tilt control means 66, monitor tilt detection means 67, and own vehicle position. The detection means 68, the clock means 69, the vehicle type information database 70, the solar information database 71, and the storage means 72 are comprised. The monitor 61 is configured to be able to adjust its posture while being exposed to the instrument panel portion 30. In the present embodiment, the monitor 61 is configured to be angularly displaceable about an angular displacement axis that extends perpendicularly and horizontally to the traveling direction of the vehicle. The monitor tilting means 64 is an actuator that drives the monitor 21 to be displaced, and based on a monitor tilt command given from the tilt control means 66, the monitor 61 is angularly driven around the angular displacement axis.

  The display information acquisition unit 62 is an information acquisition unit that acquires video information to be displayed. For example, the display information acquisition unit 62 is realized by the storage medium reading unit 24 or the television tuner 51 described above. The display information acquisition unit 62 acquires video information to be displayed and gives the acquired information to the output control unit 65.

  The operation means 63 receives a command from the user and gives the input predetermined command information to the output control means 65. For example, the operation means 63 is realized by an operation unit such as a switch or a button. In this case, a command from the user is input when the user presses a predetermined operation unit.

  The output control means 65 controls the monitor 61 based on the information given from the display information acquisition means 62 and the operation means 63, and displays the video to be displayed on the monitor 61. The output control means 65 is realized including an arithmetic element such as a CPU, and can control the display of the monitor 61 by executing an operation program stored in advance in the storage means 72.

  The monitor tilt detection unit 67 detects the tilt of the monitor 61 around the angular displacement axis, and gives the detection result to the tilt control unit 66. The own vehicle position detection means 68 detects the position and posture of the vehicle, and gives the detection result to the tilt control means 69. For example, the own vehicle position detecting means 68 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) device that detects the absolute position and absolute attitude of the vehicle, and a detecting means for detecting the relative position and relative attitude of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed pulse detecting means. Consists of including.

  The clock unit 69 is a clock unit that counts the date and time, and gives the current date and time to the tilt control unit 66. The vehicle type information database 70 stores, for each type of vehicle, vehicle information indicating the shapes of the windows and roofs of the vehicle and the arrangement position of the monitor 61 with respect to the vehicle. The solar information database 71 stores solar information indicating the position of the sun according to the date and time. These clock means 69, vehicle type information database 70, and sun information database 71 transmit the information to be counted or stored to the tilt control means 66 in accordance with the request of the tilt control means 66.

  The tilt control means 66 controls the monitor tilt means 64 based on information given from the monitor tilt detection means 67, the own vehicle position detection means 68, the clock means 69, the vehicle type information database 70 and the sun information database 71, and the monitor 61 Is tilted. The tilt control means 69 is realized including an arithmetic element such as a CPU, and controls the monitor tilt means 64 by executing a predetermined operation program. In the present embodiment, the tilt control means 69 controls the posture of the monitor tilt means 64 while the output control means 65 displays an image on the monitor 61.

  The output control means 65 and the tilt control means 66 may be realized by one CPU. In this case, the function of the output control means 65 can be realized by the CPU executing the output control program stored in the storage means 72, and the CPU executes the tilt control program stored in the storage means 72. Thus, the function of the tilt control means 66 can be realized.

  The tilt control unit 66 implements a plurality of operation units by executing a tilt control program stored in the storage unit. Specifically, the tilt control means 66 implements a host vehicle position calculation unit 80, a sun position calculation unit 81, a monitor position calculation unit 82, a monitor tilt amount calculation unit 83, and a monitor tilt command unit 84. .

  The own vehicle position calculation unit 80 calculates the position of the own vehicle represented by latitude and longitude and the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the information given from the own vehicle position detection means 68. The sun position calculation unit 81 calculates the position of the sun at the current date and time based on the current date and time given from the clock means 69 and the sun information stored in the sun information database 71.

  The monitor position calculation unit 82 serves as a relative position calculation unit that calculates the relative position between the sun position and the monitor 61. The monitor position calculation unit 82 extracts the vehicle type information of the vehicle on which the information output device 320 is mounted from the vehicle type information database 70, and calculates the position of the monitor with respect to the vehicle. Further, the tilt amount of the monitor 61 is acquired from the information given from the monitor tilt detecting means 67. Then, the position of the monitor 61 with respect to the position of the sun is calculated from the sun position obtained by the sun position calculator 81. Further, it is determined whether or not the light traveling from the sun position toward the monitor 61 is blocked by the vehicle roof.

  The monitor tilt amount calculation unit 83 determines the tilt amount of the monitor 61 based on the calculation result of the monitor position calculation unit 82. Specifically, the posture of the monitor 61 that can prevent the decrease in the visibility of the monitor 61 due to sunlight as much as possible is calculated. The monitor tilt command unit 84 gives the calculation result calculated by the monitor tilt amount calculation unit 83 to the monitor tilt means 64 as a monitor tilt command.

  FIG. 12 is a side view showing the vehicle 90, the sun 91, and the monitor 61 in a simplified manner. For example, when the sun 91 is located behind the traveling direction and the monitor 61 is disposed ahead of the occupant in the traveling direction, the light 94 emitted from the sun 91 is reflected by the monitor 61 and the occupant 92 There is a case of moving toward the head 93. In this case, it becomes difficult for the passenger 92 to visually recognize the video displayed on the monitor 61 due to the reflection of the sunlight 94 by the monitor 61.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the calculation of the amount of tilt of the monitor 61 in the tilt control means 66. FIG. 13 (1) shows the state before the monitor tilt, and FIG. 13 (2) shows the state after the monitor tilt. As shown in FIG. 13 (1), when the tilt control means 66 determines that the display screen of the monitor 61 extends vertically or substantially perpendicular to the sunlight 64, the tilt control means 66 moves the monitor 61 to the angular displacement axis. The incident angle θ of the sunlight 64 with respect to the monitor 61 is decreased by changing the angle around L1, and the adjustment is performed so that the incident angle θ is within a predetermined range.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the tilt control means 66. In step c0, the tilt control means 66 acquires in advance vehicle type information of the vehicle 90 on which the information output device 320 is mounted, and waits in a state where the position of the monitor 61 relative to the vehicle 90 is known. When a video display command is given from the output control means 65, the process proceeds to step c1 to start the control operation.

  In step c1, the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 90 and the traveling direction of the vehicle 90 are calculated based on the information given from the vehicle position detection means 68, and the process proceeds to step c2. In step c2, the current date and time are acquired from the clock means 69, and the solar information at that time is extracted from the solar information database 71. This calculates the position of the sun and proceeds to step c3.

  In step c3, the position of the monitor 61 with respect to the vehicle is calculated from the vehicle type information. Based on the vehicle position, the position of the sun 91, and the position of the monitor 61 with respect to the vehicle 90 obtained in the previous step, the position of the monitor 61 with respect to the position of the sun 91 is obtained. Specifically, the incident angle θ of sunlight 94 with respect to the monitor 61 is obtained, and the process proceeds to step c4. In step c4, if the incident angle θ of the sunlight 94 is not less than a predetermined angle, the tilt amount of the monitor 61 that is less than the predetermined angle is calculated. If the incident angle θ of the sunlight 94 is less than a predetermined angle, the tilt amount of the monitor 61 is calculated as zero. When the tilt amount of the monitor 61 is calculated in this way, the process proceeds to step c5.

  In step c5, the amount of tilt calculated in step c5 is transmitted to the monitor tilting means 64, and the process proceeds to step c6. Accordingly, the monitor tilting means 64 tilts the monitor 61 according to the tilt amount calculated in step c4. In step c6, it is determined whether or not a predetermined end condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the end condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step c7 and the control operation is ended. If it is determined that the end condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step c1, and the control operation is repeated.

  For example, when the video control command is given from the output control means 65, the tilt control means 66 determines that the end condition is satisfied. In addition, when the tilt control means 66 determines that the sunset time has been exceeded, it determines that the end condition is satisfied.

  According to the present embodiment, the monitor 61 can be tilted based on the position of the monitor 61 with respect to the position of the sun 91. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the visibility of the monitor 61 from being lowered due to the sunlight 94, and to make it easy to see the image displayed on the monitor 61. In addition, since the user can recover the decrease in the visibility of the monitor 61 caused by the sunlight 94, it is possible to save the labor of tilting the monitor 61 and improve the operability. Further, in the present embodiment, the video displayed on the monitor 61 is not limited, and in addition to the disc video stored on the DVD and the television video broadcast from the television broadcasting station, the navigation video indicating the position and course of the vehicle is used. There may be.

  The monitor 61 mounted on the vehicle 90 frequently changes in relative position with the sun 91 as the vehicle 90 moves. In such a case, the present embodiment is particularly effective. That is, the passenger can save the trouble of frequently tilting the monitor 61 according to the movement of the vehicle 90 and can improve the operability. In addition, the driver does not have to endure viewing the video displayed on the monitor 61 in a state in which it is difficult to visually recognize, and can concentrate more on driving.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a case where a roof 95 is formed on the vehicle 90 as compared to the case illustrated in FIG. 12. When the tilt control means 66 determines that the sunlight 94 is blocked by the roof 95 of the vehicle 90 based on the vehicle type information, the tilt control means 66 determines that the sunlight 94 does not enter the monitor 61. In this case, the tilt amount of the monitor 61 is calculated so that the monitor 61 has a predetermined reference posture. For example, the reference posture of the monitor 61 may be determined as a default, or may be set in advance according to the passenger's preference. In this case, it is determined that the sunlight 94 does not enter the monitor 61, and the posture of the monitor 61 is shifted to the reference posture. Thereby, when sunlight 94 does not enter, it can be kept in the monitor posture according to a user's liking, and the visibility of the picture displayed on monitor 61 can further be improved.

  Similarly, the amount of tilt of the monitor 61 may be calculated so that the monitor 61 maintains the reference posture when the sunset time elapses. In addition, the amount of tilt of the monitor 61 may be calculated using a sunshine sensor, weather information acquisition means, etc. so that the monitor 61 shifts to the reference posture when it is raining or cloudy and traveling in a tunnel. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent a decrease in the visibility of the monitor 61 due to sunlight, and to prevent an unnecessary tilting operation of the monitor 61.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a case where sunlight 94 is incident from rear window 96 of vehicle 90 as compared to the case illustrated in FIG. 12. The tilt control means 66 can determine that the sunlight 94 passes through the rear window 96 of the vehicle 90 and enters the monitor 61 based on the vehicle type information. Also in this case, the monitor 61 is tilted so that the incident angle θ of the sunlight 94 with respect to the monitor 61 becomes a predetermined angle. The same applies to the case where a sunroof that is a sunlight transmitting portion is formed on the roof 95 of the vehicle 90.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the information of the vehicle 90 on which the information output device 320 is mounted can be acquired from the vehicle type information database 70, the tilt control means 66 is in accordance with the type of the vehicle 90 to be mounted. Thus, the tilting state of the monitor 61 can be varied. As a result, the tilt of the monitor 61 according to the vehicle 90 can be realized, and the position of the monitor 61 relative to the position of the sun 91 can be calculated more accurately.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the present embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the monitor 61 is tilted so as to avoid the incident angle θ being perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the monitor 61. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the approximate position of the head 93 of the passenger 92 can be grasped based on the vehicle type information, the sunlight 94 reflected on the monitor 61 is prevented from traveling toward the head 93 of the passenger 92. The monitor 61 may be tilted.

  In this case, the tilt control means 66 calculates the positional relationship between the position of the sun 91 and the monitor 61, and the positional relationship between the monitor 61 and a predetermined body part of the passenger 92, that is, the head position in the present embodiment. Calculate The tilt control means 66 reflects the reflected light 97 reflected by the sunlight 94 by the monitor 61 at an angle θ 2 that is equal to the incident angle θ 1 at which the sunlight 94 is incident on the monitor 61. When the tilt control means 66 determines that the reflected light 97 travels toward the head 93 as shown in FIG. 17 (1), the reflected light 97 is moved from the head 93 as shown in FIG. Then, the monitor 61 is driven to be displaced.

  As a result, the tilting state of the monitor 61 can be changed for each passenger, and the deterioration of the visibility of the monitor 61 caused by the sunlight 94 can be more reliably prevented. For example, the tilt control means 66 can grasp the approximate head position of the occupant 92 by inputting personal information of the occupant 92 such as the sitting height in advance. Further, an imaging means for imaging the head position of the passenger 92 may be provided, and the head position may be determined based on the imaging means. The head position may be determined using other detection means, and the head position of the driver who is the passenger 92 may be determined from the inclination of the side mirror. Further, by tilting the monitor 61 and inputting that the monitor 61 is horizontal or vertical with respect to the line of sight of the passenger 92, the head position of the passenger 92 can be grasped.

  Further, an inclination state detecting means for detecting an inclination state with respect to the horizontal plane of the vehicle, for example, a gyro sensor may be provided. Thereby, the inclination state of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane can be determined, and the relative position between the position of the sun 91 and the monitor 61 can be obtained more accurately by considering the detection result of the gyro sensor.

  In the fourth embodiment, simply, the relative position between the position of the sun and the monitor 61 is calculated, and the monitor 61 may be tilted based on the calculation result, and other configurations are not limited. For example, an arithmetic expression for obtaining solar information may be stored, and the solar information may be obtained from the Internet or the like. The vehicle type information may be input from the operation unit 63 by a user or the like. In this case, it is not necessary to store the vehicle type information as a database. Further, when it is not necessary to tilt the monitor 61 with high accuracy, vehicle information that is set to be constant regardless of the vehicle type may be given. Moreover, although sunlight was set as a light source, the reflected light reflected from the monitor 61 is not limited to sunlight. For example, the light source may be moonlight, a room light that is an interior light, or a headlamp of another vehicle located behind the vehicle.

  Moreover, the above 1st-4th embodiment is only the illustration of this invention, and can limit a structure within the scope of the invention. For example, in this embodiment, the information output devices 20, 120, 220, and 320 are provided in the vehicle 90, but may be provided in a place other than the vehicle. The configurations of the first to fourth embodiments can be used in combination, and the first to fourth embodiments can be achieved simultaneously. In this case, the information output device can be miniaturized by realizing the monitor displacement driving means 23 and the monitor tilting means 64 with a single actuator. Further, the output control means 65 and the tilt control means 66 can be realized by a single means. In the present embodiment, the displacement operation of the monitor 61 is an example. For example, when the configuration of only the fourth embodiment is achieved, the monitor 61 may not be configured to be housed in the instrument panel portion 30.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information output device 20 which is 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the instrument panel part 30 of the vehicle in which the information output device 20 was provided. It is a side view which shows the information output device 20 when the monitor 21 is in a display state. 2 is a front view showing an information output device 20. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a calculation means 27. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the displacement drive state of the monitor 21 at the time of reproducing | regenerating the video system disc 31a through step a8. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the displacement drive operation | movement of the monitor 21 at the time of reproducing | regenerating the image | video non-display sound type disc 31b through step a6. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information output device 120 which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a calculation means 27. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information output device 220 which is 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information output device 320 of 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which simplifies and shows the vehicle 90, the sun 91, and the monitor 61. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating calculation of the amount of tilts of the monitor 61 in the tilt control means 66. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a tilt control means 66. It is a figure which shows the case where a roof is formed in a vehicle compared with the case shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the case where sunlight injects from the rear window 96 of a vehicle compared with the case shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Information output device 21 Monitor 22 Speaker 23 Monitor displacement drive means 24 Storage medium reading means 25 Insertion detection sensor 26 Operation means 27 Output control means 28 Storage means 29 Case 30 Instrument panel part 31 Disk

Claims (14)

Display means configured to display an image and be switchable between a storage state stored in the housing and an exposure state exposed from the housing;
Displacement driving means for driving the display means to change, and switching the state of the display means from one of the housed state and the exposed state to the other state;
Information acquisition means for acquiring information to be output;
Determining that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video information indicating a video, and generating a video output command when determining that the video information should be output;
In response to the video output command generated by the video output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be exposed by the displacement driving unit, and the video information acquired by the information acquisition unit is displayed by the display unit. And an output control means. Further comprising an insertion detection means for detecting that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means,
The information acquisition means includes storage medium reading means capable of reading information stored in a storage medium,
The video output determining means determines that the storage medium has been inserted based on the detection result of the insertion detecting means, and the information stored in the storage medium inserted by the reading result of the storage medium reading means is video information. 2. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video output command is generated to indicate that video information read by the storage medium reading unit is to be displayed. An input means for inputting a display command for displaying video information acquired by the designated information acquisition means among the one or more information acquisition means;
The video output determination unit generates the video output command indicating that the video information acquired by the designated information acquisition unit should be displayed based on a display command input to the input unit. The information output device according to claim 1 or 2. An information output device mounted on a vehicle,
When an imaging information output command for displaying video information captured by an imaging unit that captures the surroundings of the vehicle is input to the input unit,
The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video output determination unit generates the video output command indicating that video information captured by the imaging unit is to be displayed. . Display means configured to display an image and be switchable between a storage state stored in the housing and an exposure state exposed from the housing;
Displacement driving means for driving the display means to shift, and switching the display means from one state of the storage state and the exposure state to the other state,
Sound generating means for generating sound;
Information acquisition means for acquiring information to be output;
When it is determined that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video non-display sound information indicating only sound without displaying video, and it is determined that the video non-display sound information should be output, video non-display is determined. Sound output determination means for generating a display sound output command;
In response to the video non-display sound output command generated by the sound output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be in the storage state by the displacement driving unit, and the video non-display sound information acquired by the information acquisition unit Output control means for generating sound information included in the sound generation means by sound generation means. Unlike the display unit, the display unit further includes another display unit for displaying the output state of the sound generation unit in a state where the display unit is exposed from the housing when the display unit is in the housed state.
The output control means displays the output state of the sound generating means on another display means in response to the video non-display sound output command generated by the sound output determining means. Information output device. An insertion detecting means for detecting that the storage medium has been inserted into the storage medium reading means,
The information acquisition means includes storage medium reading means capable of reading information stored in a storage medium,
The sound output determination means determines that a storage medium has been inserted based on the detection result of the insertion detection means, and information stored in the storage medium inserted based on the read result of the storage medium reading means is video non-display sound information. 6. The video non-display sound output command indicating that the sound information included in the video non-display sound information read by the storage medium reading unit is to be generated is generated. 6. The information output device according to 6. An input means for inputting a sound generation command for generating sound information included in the video non-display sound information acquired by the designated information acquisition means among the one or a plurality of information acquisition means;
The sound output determining means indicates the video non-display indicating that sound information included in the video non-display sound information acquired by the designated information acquiring means should be generated based on a sound generation command input to the input means. The information output apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a display sound output command is generated. Display means configured to display an image and be switchable between a storage state stored in the housing and an exposure state exposed from the housing;
Displacement driving means for driving the display means to change, and switching the state of the display means from one of the housed state and the exposed state to the other state;
Sound generating means for generating sound;
Information acquisition means for acquiring information to be output;
Output control means for controlling the displacement driving means, the display means and the sound generating means;
Determining that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video information indicating a video, and generating a video output command when determining that the video information should be output;
When it is determined that the information acquired by the information acquisition means is video non-display sound information indicating only sound without displaying video, and it is determined that the video non-display sound information should be output, video non-display is determined. Sound output determination means for generating a display sound output command,
The output control means is
In response to the video output command generated by the video output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be exposed by the displacement driving unit, and the video information acquired by the information acquisition unit is displayed by the display unit. Let
In response to the video non-display sound output command generated by the sound output determination unit, the display unit is displaced so as to be in the storage state by the displacement driving unit, and the video non-display sound information acquired by the information acquisition unit The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound information included in the sound is generated by a sound generating unit. Display means configured to display an image and be freely tiltable with respect to a predetermined reference state;
Tilt drive means for tilting the display means;
A calculation means for calculating a relative position between the position of the light source and the display means;
The tilting position of the display means is calculated based on the calculation result of the calculation means so as to avoid the reflected light of the display means with respect to the light source passing through the area where the passenger's head position is arranged or the vicinity thereof. An information output apparatus comprising: tilt control means for controlling the tilt drive means according to the result. An information output device mounted on a vehicle,
Own vehicle position detecting means for detecting the position and posture of the vehicle;
Clock means for outputting the time including the month and day;
A solar information database that stores the solar position according to the date and time,
The calculating means calculates the relative position between the position of the sun serving as the light source and the display means based on the detection result of the own vehicle position detecting means, the output result of the clock means, and the solar information database. The information output device according to claim 10. Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information indicating the shape and position of the window and roof in the vehicle to be mounted and the arrangement position of the display means for the vehicle;
12. The information output device according to claim 10, wherein the tilt control means controls the tilt driving means based on vehicle information given from the vehicle information acquisition means. The vehicle further includes passenger information acquisition means for acquiring passenger information indicating a position of a predetermined body part of the passenger boarding the vehicle,
The information output apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the tilt control means controls the tilt driving means based on the passenger information acquired by the passenger information acquiring means.   The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information output apparatus is mounted on a vehicle.

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