JP2007196934A - On-vehicle display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device provided with a display part capable of retaining constant visibility not depending on an angle of illumination and intensity of illumination to the display part in the on-vehicle device provided with the display part. <P>SOLUTION: A control part accepting operation by an operation part performs various kinds of treatments based on input instruction and displays the result using a display member. The substrate is provided with a shaft along a center line in a longitudinal direction or a short direction. Both ends of the shaft are mounted/fixed to a part of a housing as fulcrum for performing rotation. When the substrate is rotated around the shaft, the substrate is inclined in a longitudinal direction accompanying with it. An biasing member contacted with a part of the substrate and biasing it is provided in the housing. When a user performs angle adjustment instruction of the substrate using an operation part, the biasing member biases the substrate based on the instruction content. As a result, the substrate is inclined according to the biased force around the shaft. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device including a display unit, and more particularly to a mechanism for improving the visibility of a display unit of the in-vehicle display device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in-vehicle devices such as car navigation devices, which include a display unit having a relatively large size such as a liquid crystal panel and capable of displaying information on various functions, are widely used. For example, as a typical function, there is a route search function that automatically searches for a route from a departure point to a destination and displays the searched route as a guide route on a map. If this function is used, it is possible to automatically search for a guidance route connecting the departure point and the destination with the optimum route by inputting the departure point and the destination from the input device, and display them on the display unit. is there.

  In addition, when the user travels according to the retrieved guidance route, there is a guidance function that guides the user to the destination by displaying the guidance route on a map and displaying the vehicle position. If this function is used, for example, when an intersection is approached while driving, an enlarged view of the intersection (a map displayed within a predetermined display range of the display unit with a reduced number of display elements) For example, it is possible to notify the user of various information related to the traveling route in real time.

  In navigation devices having the functions as described above, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is widely used as a display unit. An LCD is a device that displays an image by enclosing a special liquid (liquid crystal) between two glass plates and applying a voltage to increase or decrease the light transmittance. Since the liquid crystal itself does not emit light, display is performed using the light of a fluorescent lamp (backlight) provided behind in a dark place. Because it is thinner and lighter than ordinary displays, it is widely used mainly in small electronic devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers, and flat-screen TVs.

  However, the backlight of LCDs is smaller than other video devices (for example, cathode ray tubes), so the amount of light emitted from the backlight is small. There was a problem that the sex was extremely lowered. In addition, with the recent increase in functionality of navigation devices, the amount of information to be displayed on the display unit increases, and as a result, the size of the LCD tends to increase. However, the space in the vehicle is limited, and the size of the LCD cannot be increased unconditionally from the viewpoint of cost. As described above, in designing the structure of the navigation device, the visibility and storage of the display unit have been a major problem.

  In relation to the above problem, in Patent Document 1, the display unit is mounted on a movable member that can be moved, and a drive source that generates a driving force for moving the movable member can be reduced in size, and the cost can be reduced. An electronic device characterized in that it can be realized is disclosed.

  The electronic device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a main body, a movable unit on which a display unit and an operation unit are mounted, a driving mechanism, first and second urging units, and a sliding groove. The movable part is moved by the driving force from the driving source over the first position and the second position with respect to the apparatus main body. Further, the biasing means for biasing the movable part over the first position and the second position, and the biasing means for biasing the biasing means between the first position and the second position. A changing means for changing the power is provided. Thereby, when the load applied to the drive source is large, the urging force can be weakened.

  In addition, the electronic device disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses the changing unit to change the first urging force of the urging unit when the movable portion is positioned closer to the first position and the load on the drive source becomes high. The movable portion is weaker than the second urging force when the movable portion is positioned closer to the first position. Further, the changing means includes a first region that biases the movable portion with a first biasing force when the movable portion is positioned closer to the first position, and a first portion that biases the movable portion closer to the second position. A second region for urging the movable portion with the urging force of 2 and the urging force provided between the first region and the second region is changed over the first urging force and the second urging force. And a change area.

  According to the above structure, since the guide groove and the sliding groove change the urging force of the first and second urging units between the first position and the second position, the load applied to the motor In a high position, the urging force of the urging unit can be weakened. Therefore, the maximum load applied to the motor can be suppressed, and the increase in size and cost of the motor can be suppressed.

Further, when the operation display unit and the movable arm are positioned closer to the first position and the load applied to the motor becomes higher, the guide groove and the sliding groove cause the first urging force of the first and second urging units, It is weaker than the second urging force when it is positioned at the second position. Thereby, since the urging | biasing force of a 1st and 2nd urging | biasing unit is weakened in the 1st position where the load concerning a motor is high, the maximum load concerning a motor can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the increase in size and cost of the motor. From the above, it has a feature that the entire apparatus can be reduced in size and cost.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-272961

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, although the invention relating to the cost saving and the size saving related to the movable portion is disclosed, the visibility of the display portion provided in the movable mechanism is not disclosed or suggested. If the above-mentioned movable part is used, it is possible to improve the storage property of the display part by moving the display part, but there is a limit to improving the visibility by adjusting the angle (slant angle) of the display part. . That is, there has been a problem that sufficient response cannot be achieved when the visibility is lowered due to a change in the surrounding situation (for example, when the display unit is irradiated with sunlight).

  Even if the angle of the display unit is adjusted by controlling the urging force applied to the urging unit of the movable unit in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, the inclination angle is limited to a certain range due to the configuration of the apparatus. Therefore, sufficient visibility was not always obtained. Also, when controlling the urging force for angle adjustment, it is necessary for the user to manually adjust the urging force, so that it is not always appropriate when surrounding conditions (for example, changes in illuminance) occur. It was not always possible to cope with

  Even if it is possible to perform manual adjustment, there are many situations where the user is driving when using the navigation device. Therefore, the tilt angle is adjusted while driving, but this impedes concentration on driving, and there is a problem that it involves danger.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to illuminate the display unit when the surrounding environment changes in an in-vehicle device having a display unit using an LCD or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device including a display unit that can maintain a certain level of visibility without reducing the visibility of the display unit even when the angle and the illuminance change.

In order to achieve the above object, the in-vehicle display device of the present invention includes:
A display member for displaying information; a substrate member for fixing the display member; an operation member for inputting an operation instruction; and a main body for storing each member.
The substrate member has a rotation shaft member on a center line in a longitudinal direction or a short direction, and is provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the body portion by fixing fulcrum portions existing at both ends of the rotation shaft member to the body portion. And tilted by a biasing force of a biasing member that biases in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate member.

  According to this configuration, the in-vehicle display device of the present invention includes a display member such as an LCD, a substrate (substrate member) that is a plate-like member for attaching and fixing the display member, and a user for performing various operations. It is comprised from the operation part (operation member) and the housing (main-body part) for accommodating all these members. The control unit that receives the operation by the operation unit performs various processes based on the input instruction, and displays the result using the display member. The substrate is provided with a shaft (rotary shaft member) along the center line in the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction when the display member is a landscape screen) or the short direction (vertical direction when the display member is a landscape screen). It has been. Both ends of the shaft are fixedly attached to a part of the housing as fulcrums for rotation. When the substrate rotates about the shaft, the substrate tilts in the front-rear direction accordingly. Since the shaft does not have a drive engine, the substrate cannot be tilted by the shaft alone. As a member for tilting, a biasing member (for example, a telescopic rod) for biasing in contact with a part of the substrate is provided inside the housing. When the user issues an angle adjustment instruction (tilt instruction) of the substrate (and thus the display member provided on the substrate) using the operation unit, the urging member urges the substrate based on the content of the instruction. As a result, the substrate tilts according to the biased force (biasing force) about the shaft.

In order to achieve the above object, the in-vehicle display device of the present invention is
A light receiving portion for detecting the illuminance irradiated on the display member;
Control means for controlling the urging force of the urging member according to the illuminance detected by the light receiving unit is provided.

  According to this configuration, the light receiving unit that measures the illuminance of the illumination (for example, sunlight) applied to the in-vehicle display device is provided in a part of the in-vehicle display device of the present invention. Illuminance detected using the light receiving unit is notified to the control unit. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit calculates an inclination angle at which the visibility (ease of viewing by the user) of the display unit is considered to be highest based on the magnitude of illuminance. For example, when the illuminance is high, an inclination angle that does not reflect the illumination as much as possible to the user is calculated. Conversely, when the illuminance is extremely low, an inclination angle that reflects the illumination as much as possible to the user is calculated. At this time, as an element for calculating the tilt angle, it is more desirable to set an angle (line-of-sight angle) at which the user visually recognizes the display unit in advance in the in-vehicle display device. Based on the calculated tilt angle, the control unit commands the biasing member to adjust the biasing force that biases the substrate. As a result, the angle at which the substrate tilts is adjusted.

In order to achieve the above object, the in-vehicle display device of the present invention is
An urging control means for controlling the urging force of the urging member based on the instructed inclination angle when the operation member detects that an instruction to adjust the inclination angle of the substrate member has been input; It is characterized by having prepared.

  According to this configuration, when the user instructs the tilt of the display unit and designates the tilt angle by the operation unit provided in the in-vehicle display device of the present invention (for example, the designation of the tilt angle by numerical input or The designated tilt angle is notified to the control unit when the tilt angle is designated according to the length of time the button is pressed. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit commands the biasing member to adjust the biasing force for biasing the substrate based on the specified tilt angle. As a result, the angle at which the substrate tilts is adjusted.

  According to the first configuration of the present invention, in the in-vehicle display device of the present invention, the substrate including the display member is provided with the shaft along the center line in the longitudinal direction or the lateral direction. It is possible to tilt the substrate as the center. As a driving member for tilting, a biasing member for biasing in contact with a part of the substrate is used. Thereby, for example, when the illuminance of illumination from the outside is strong and the amount of light reflected on the display unit is large, the display unit can be tilted to an angle with a small amount of light reflected on the user. That is, it is possible to improve the visibility of the display unit (ease of viewing for the user). In addition, since the mechanism for tilting the substrate can be realized only by the biasing member provided inside the housing of the in-vehicle device and the shaft attached to the substrate, it can be realized at a low cost and in a small size. It is.

  According to the 2nd structure of this invention, the light-receiving part which measures the illumination intensity irradiated with respect to a vehicle-mounted display apparatus is provided in a part of vehicle-mounted display apparatus of this invention. Illuminance detected using the light receiving unit is notified to the control unit. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit calculates an inclination angle at which the visibility of the display unit is considered to be highest based on the magnitude of the illuminance. Based on the calculated tilt angle, the control unit instructs the biasing member to tilt the substrate. Thereby, since the inclination angle of the display unit is automatically adjusted to a preferable angle, it is not necessary for the user to manually adjust the inclination angle, and convenience for the user is improved.

  According to the third configuration of the present invention, the operation unit provided in the in-vehicle display device of the present invention is designated when the user instructs the tilting of the display unit and designates the tilting angle. The substrate is tilted based on the magnitude of the tilt angle. As a result, when the user manually tilts the substrate, the tilt angle can be finely adjusted with certainty, so that a more preferable tilt angle can be adjusted.

Hereinafter, a navigation device (on-vehicle device) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment]
<1. Display panel component configuration>
Here, the member configuration of the display panel 1 included in the navigation device of the present invention will be described with reference to the perspective views of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the cross-sectional view of FIG.

  The perspective view of FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of the housing 10 is removed from the display panel 1 and each member inside the housing 10 is viewed from the back side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state in which the housing 10 is mounted on the display panel 1 when viewed from the front side oblique direction. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the display panel 1 as viewed from the side. The left side of FIG. 3 is the front surface of the display panel 1, and the right side of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the display panel 1 of the navigation device of the present invention includes at least a housing 10, a tilting substrate (substrate member) 11, a telescopic rod (biasing member) 12, and a shaft (rotating shaft member) 13. The operation key board 14, the operation key 15, and the light receiving unit 16 are included.

  The housing 10 constitutes the exterior of the display panel 1 and has a role of storing and protecting each member described later. The housing 10 is made of a material such as plastic or aluminum.

  The tilting substrate 11 is a substrate for mounting and fixing an LCD (not shown), and is fixed to the housing 10 by a shaft 13 described later. An LCD is fixed to one side of the tilting substrate 11 (the front side of the display panel), and is visible to the user through a transparent protective member (not shown).

  The telescopic rod 12 is a member that can be expanded and contracted using an elastic member or the like, and is a member that tilts the tilting substrate 11 in a specific direction by urging the peripheral portion of the tilting substrate 11. is there. The telescopic rod 12 is fixed to, for example, an inner wall of the housing 10 or a part of an operation key board 14 described later.

  The shaft 13 is a shaft member that is attached to the center of the tilting substrate 11 in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction), and fixes the housing 10 and the tilting substrate 11 and tilts the tilting substrate 11 in the front-rear direction around the rotation axis. This is a shaft member that can be used.

  The operation key board 14 is an electronic board provided in the housing 10 in order to detect the mounting of the operation key 15 described later and the pressing of the operation key 15. When the operation key 15 is pressed, the operation key board 14 has a role of electrically detecting which key is pressed and notifying a control unit (not shown).

  The operation key 15 is an operation unit for the user to perform various operations. When the user presses one of the operation keys 15, a processing command corresponding to each key is sent to the control unit (not shown) through the operation key board 14. The operation keys 15 include, for example, a power key and a tilt angle adjustment key.

The light receiving unit 16 is a sensor using a photoconductor such as a dimmer sensor, and is a member for detecting ambient brightness (illuminance) with respect to the display panel 1. The detected illuminance is notified to the control unit and used for the purpose of automatically adjusting the brightness of the screen displayed using the LCD. Normally, one light receiving portion 16 is provided on the front surface of the housing 10, but a plurality of light receiving portions 16 may be provided in each portion of the housing 10 in order to detect a difference in illuminance due to each part of the housing 10.
<2. About tilting mechanism>
Here, the details of the tilting mechanism of the display panel 1 in the navigation device of the present invention will be described with reference to the perspective views of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the cross-sectional view of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a shaft 13 and an operation key board 14 are fixed to the housing 10. The operation key board 14 may be integrated with the exterior portion of the housing 10.

  The shaft 13 and the tilting substrate 11 are fixed using an adhesive member (not shown) or a joint such as a groove or a hole provided in a part of the tilting substrate 11. The shaft 13 can rotate around the rotation axis, and accordingly, the tilting substrate 11 fixed to the shaft 13 tilts according to the rotation angle.

  The rotary shaft 11 is not provided with a drive engine (for example, an electric motor) that rotates independently. Therefore, in order to tilt the tilting substrate 11, it is necessary to bias the rotating shaft portion 11 using another member.

  The member for performing the urging is the telescopic rod 12. The telescopic rod 12 is a variable member that can be expanded and contracted by a power source provided therein. The distal end of the telescopic rod 12 is in contact with a part of the tilting substrate 11.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the telescopic rod 12 a is provided inside the operation key board 14. The extremity rod 12 a is in contact with the front lower portion of the tilting substrate 11 at the tip. When the telescopic rod 12 a extends, the tip end part applies pressure (biasing force) to the tilting substrate 11 at the lower part of the front surface of the tilting substrate 11. As a result, the tilting substrate 11 tilts around the shaft 13, and as a result, the upper part of the tilting substrate 11 tilts forward and the lower part tilts backward.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the inner wall of the housing 10 is provided with the telescopic rod 12b and the telescopic rod 12c. The extremity rod 12b is in contact with the upper rear portion of the tilting substrate 11 at the tip. The distal end of the telescopic rod 12 c is in contact with the lower rear portion of the tilting substrate 11.

  In FIG. 3, when the telescopic rod 12 b extends, the tip portion applies pressure to the tilting substrate 11 at the upper rear portion of the tilting substrate 11. As a result, the tilting substrate 11 tilts around the shaft 13, and as a result, the upper part of the tilting substrate 11 tilts forward and the lower part tilts backward. The tilted substrate 11a shows this state by a dotted line diagram. At this time, the telescopic rod 12c attached to the lower side of the inner wall of the housing 10 contracts as the telescopic rod 12b extends.

  Conversely, when the telescopic rod 12 c extends in FIG. 3, the tip portion applies pressure to the tilting substrate 11 at the lower rear portion of the tilting substrate 11. As a result, the tilting substrate 11 tilts about the shaft 13, and as a result, the lower portion of the tilting substrate 11 tilts forward and the upper portion tilts backward. A tilted substrate 11b shows this state by a dotted line diagram. At this time, the telescopic rod 12b attached to the upper direction of the inner wall of the housing 10 contracts as the telescopic rod 12c extends.

  An instruction to extend and contract the telescopic rod 12 is executed by the user operating the operation key 15. The operation key 15 includes one or more tilt angle adjustment keys. When the user presses the tilt angle adjustment key, the operation key board 14 that detects the press notifies the control unit of the type of the pressed key and the specified tilt angle.

  The tilt angle can be determined by the type of key pressed, the time the key is pressed, and the like. For example, it is possible to finely adjust the tilt angle by making the pressing time proportional to the tilt angle. Alternatively, an angle input key for designating the tilt angle by numerical input may be provided. Upon receiving the notification of the tilt angle, the control unit determines the length for extending or contracting each telescopic rod 12 based on the received tilt angle value. Then, based on the determined length, the telescopic rod 12 is instructed to expand or contract.

  Further, the degree of expansion and contraction of the telescopic rod 12 may be determined based on the illuminance detected by the light receiving unit 16. The light receiving unit 16 in FIG. 2 is a sensor that is originally provided for detecting ambient illuminance in order to adjust the brightness of the LCD. For example, a dimmer sensor or the like is used. The control unit that has received information on the illuminance detected by the light receiving unit 16 determines whether or not the value exceeds a predetermined value (for example, illuminance when direct sunlight such as sunlight is irradiated).

  When the predetermined value is exceeded, the telescopic rod 12 is extended or shortened, and the tilting substrate 11 is tilted to an angle that can reduce the reflection of the irradiated light with respect to the user. Conversely, if the illuminance does not exceed a predetermined value, the telescopic rod 12 is not extended or shortened. It should be noted that it is more desirable that the user can set and change the angle at which the reflection of incident light can be reduced depending on the location where the display panel 1 is disposed.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the number of the light receiving units 16 is single, but a difference in illuminance in each part of the display panel 1 may be detected using a plurality of light receiving units 16. . For example, it is assumed that the light receiving portion 16 a is provided at the front upper end portion of the housing 10 and the light receiving portion 16 b is provided at the front lower end of the housing 10. In this case, the control unit that receives the notification of the detected illuminance from the light receiving unit 16a and the light receiving unit 16b detects the difference.

If there is no difference between the two detected illuminances, the same processing as when the light receiving unit 16 is single is performed. Conversely, if there is a difference between the two detected illuminances, the illumination incident angle (from which direction the illumination is received) is calculated from the difference. Based on the obtained incident angle and the angle of the user's line of sight set in advance, the control unit calculates in which direction the reflection of incident light can be reduced. Based on the obtained result, the length for extending or contracting each telescopic rod 12 is determined. Then, based on the determined length, the telescopic rod 12 is instructed to expand or contract.
[Other embodiments]
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments and examples. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above embodiments and examples, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the technical idea. Can be implemented.

  For example, even if the tilting mechanism that realizes the function of the above-described embodiment uses a biasing method different from that in the above-described example to tilt the tilting substrate 11, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained.

  For example, when the telescopic rod 12 is contracted, a member having a stress such as an elastic member is attached to the shaft 13 so that the tilting substrate 11 is tilted in the direction of the telescopic rod 12 by the contracted amount. Good. According to this, when the urging force from the telescopic rod 12 is lowered, it is possible to fix the tilting substrate 11 to be stationary at a certain angle by the stress of the elastic member.

  Further, for example, when the telescopic rod 12 is contracted, the end of the telescopic rod 12 and the tilting substrate 11 are attached by an adhesive member or the like so that the tilting substrate 11 is tilted in the direction of the telescopic rod 12 by the contracted amount. It may be touched. According to this, when the telescopic rod 12 is contracted, the telescopic rod 12 draws the tilting substrate 11 by the contact portion. For this reason, it is possible to reliably tilt the tilting substrate 11 in the direction in which the telescopic rod 12 is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the telescopic rod 12 is used as a member for urging the tilting substrate 11. However, even if the urging member other than the telescopic rod 12 is urged, the same effect is obtained. It goes without saying that it is obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the shaft 13 is fixed along the center line in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction) of the tilting substrate 11, but the shaft along the center line in the short direction (vertical direction) of the tilting substrate 11. 13 may be fixed. In this case, not the tilting method in which the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the tilting substrate 11 are moved in the opposite directions but the tilting method in which the left end portion and the right end portion are moved in the opposite directions. In this case, the position where the telescopic rod 12 biases the tilting substrate 11 is the right end portion of the tilting substrate 11 and the left end portion of the tilting substrate 11.

  Further, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even when the display panel of the present invention is used in an information processing apparatus other than the navigation apparatus. Examples of the information processing device other than the navigation device include a television, a car component, a car radio, and a video phone.

  Further, even when the tilt angle adjustment method of the tilt mechanism of the present invention is adjusted based on a key operation by the user or an element other than the ambient illuminance detected by the light receiving unit, the same effect can be obtained. Needless to say. As adjustment elements other than those described above, for example, the angular velocity obtained by using an angular velocity detector such as a gyro sensor (how many times it has moved per second), the seismic intensity detected by the vibration sensor, and the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor , Etc. can be used.

It is the perspective view which showed a part of display panel of the navigation apparatus of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the display panel of the navigation apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the partial side surface of the display panel of the navigation apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Display panel 10 Housing (main body)
11 Tilt substrate (substrate member)
12 Telescopic rod (biasing member)
13 Shaft (Rotating shaft member)
14 Operation key board 15 Operation key (operation member)
16 Light receiver

Claims (3)

A display member for displaying information; a substrate member for fixing the display member; an operation member for inputting an operation instruction; and a main body for storing each member.
The substrate member has a rotation shaft member on a center line in a longitudinal direction or a short direction, and is provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the body portion by fixing fulcrum portions existing at both ends of the rotation shaft member to the body portion. The vehicle-mounted display device is tilted by a biasing force of a biasing member that biases in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate member. A light receiving portion for detecting the illuminance irradiated on the display member;
The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls an urging force of the urging member according to illuminance detected by the light receiving unit. An urging control means for controlling the urging force of the urging member based on the instructed inclination angle when the operation member detects that an instruction to adjust the inclination angle of the substrate member has been input; The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, further comprising: an on-vehicle display device.

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