JP2017076148A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a certain pattern to be light and to improve a degree of freedom of arrangement with respect to the certain pattern even when an amount of light emitted from a light source is reduced to darken the entire display screen.SOLUTION: A display device comprises: a display part that includes a first layer (A) on which a first pattern (51) is drawn surrounded by a transparent region (53), a second layer (B) on which a translucent image (65) is drawn, and a third layer (C) on which second patterns (21, 22, 23) are drawn, and that displays the first and second patterns so that the second layer is virtually arranged behind the first layer, the third layer is virtually arranged behind the second layer, and the first pattern is overlapped on a display area of the second pattern; and a light source irradiating the display part with light. The color density of the translucent image is increased only by the increased illumination level to adjust the luminance of the second pattern to be unchanged when the luminance of the first pattern is increased by increasing the illumination level of the light source.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a display device for a vehicle, a graphic meter that displays a meter such as a vehicle speed, a fuel remaining amount, a supercharging pressure value on a screen using a display device such as a liquid crystal display is known. Further, a tell tale (warning lamp) that is turned on when there is an abnormality in the vehicle is displayed on the screen of the graphic meter.

  As described above, in a graphic meter using a liquid crystal display or the like as a display device, if the surroundings become bright, it becomes difficult to see the screen of the graphic meter, so it is necessary to increase the luminance. On the other hand, when the surroundings become dark, such as when passing through a tunnel, the screen of the graphic meter becomes dazzling, so that the brightness needs to be lowered.

  The brightness of the graphic meter screen is adjusted by changing the illumination level of the backlight. For example, the backlight illumination level is set to the minimum value 0 and the maximum value 15, and the luminance value of the liquid crystal display is set to 100% when the illumination level is maximum (see FIG. 5B).

  As this type of prior art, a vehicle display device described in Patent Document 1 is known. This vehicle display device uses a light bulb as a backlight to adjust the voltage applied to the display element when displaying a picture drawn on the light-receiving display element via the display element and the color filter. Change the transmittance. In this case, the color filter selectively transmits each color of RGB, and no pattern is drawn on the color filter.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a display device that includes a first light control element, a second light control element, and a display element interposed therebetween, and is capable of controlling a viewing angle. .

  Patent Document 3 discloses a graphic meter that displays a warning image, which is arranged in an auxiliary image layer different from the main image layer in which the meter image is arranged, and is surrounded by a black area together with the meter image. .

JP-A-62-253550 JP 2005-524870 A JP 2008-139390 A

  However, in the conventional display device, it is difficult to adjust the brightness of only a specific picture displayed on the screen. That is, it was not possible to change the shade for each pattern. For this reason, for example, if the picture is a tell tale displayed on the screen of a graphic meter, the brightness of the tell tale will be reduced when the brightness of the backlight is minimized when passing through the tunnel and the surroundings become dark and the brightness is reduced. Was also expected to fall below the value set by law. In such a case, the brightness of the tell tale could only be adjusted by brightening the entire screen. Further, as in Patent Document 3, when the periphery of the specific pattern is covered with a black region in order to adjust the luminance of the specific pattern, if the specific pattern is arranged in the vicinity of another pattern, the black region There was a problem of painting a pattern.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and its purpose is to make a specific picture brighter even if the entire screen is darkened by reducing the amount of light emitted from the light source, An object of the present invention is to provide a display device that can increase the degree of freedom of arrangement for a specific pattern.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a display device according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to (2).
(1) A first layer in which a first pattern is drawn surrounded by a transparent area, a second layer in which a translucent image is drawn, and a third layer in which a second pattern is drawn And the second layer is virtually arranged on the back surface of the first layer, the third layer is virtually arranged on the back surface of the second layer, and A display unit for displaying the first design and the second design, and a light source for irradiating the display unit with light so that the first design is superimposed on an area where the two designs are displayed. Prepared,
When increasing the brightness of the first pattern by increasing the illumination level of the light source, the brightness of the second pattern is increased by increasing the intensity of the translucent image by an amount corresponding to the increase in the illumination level. Be adjusted so that does not change.
(2) In the display device having the configuration of (1), the first pattern is drawn so as to be movable in the first layer, and the display unit moves the first pattern. , Displaying another display object in the area where the first picture is displayed.

According to the display device having the above configuration (1), the brightness of the first pattern and the brightness of the second pattern differ depending on the translucent image, so the entire screen is darkened by reducing the amount of light emitted from the light source. Even then, only the first pattern can be brightened. In addition, since the first picture surrounded by the transparent area is displayed so as to be superimposed on the area where the second picture is displayed, the first picture and the second picture can be arranged densely. In addition, the degree of freedom in arrangement increases and the entire display area can be reduced.
In addition, when the brightness of the first picture is increased by increasing the illumination level of the light source, the brightness of the second picture can be adjusted so as not to change.
According to the display device having the configuration (2), when the first picture is moved, the first picture is surrounded by a transparent region, and thus the degree of freedom of movement is large. Further, since the background of the first pattern is transparent, the appearance can be improved without the background interfering with the second pattern.

  According to the present invention, the brightness of the first picture and the brightness of the second picture differ depending on the translucent image. Therefore, even if the light amount emitted from the light source is reduced to darken the entire screen, the first picture Only the pattern can be brightened. In addition, since the first picture surrounded by the transparent area is displayed so as to be superimposed on the area where the second picture is displayed, the first picture and the second picture can be arranged densely. This increases the degree of freedom of arrangement.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the display device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a graphic display screen of the liquid crystal display. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the data structure of the layer when generating the graphic display screen. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a display control procedure. FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are graphs showing the luminance value of the pattern drawn on the graphic display screen corresponding to the illumination level of the backlight. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing another graphic display screen. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a graphic display screen when the telltale image is moved.

  A display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The display device of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and applied to a graphic meter including various instruments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the display device 100 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the display device 100 includes a microcomputer (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 101, a read-only memory (EEPROM) 102, interfaces 103, 104, 116, a CPU power supply unit 105, A graphic controller 106, a frame memory 107, an X driver 108, a Y driver 109, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) power supply unit 110, a liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) 111, and the like are provided.

  The microcomputer (CPU) 101 is a control unit, and executes various programs necessary for realizing the functions of the display device 100 by executing a program prepared in advance. For example, the microcomputer 101 performs the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  A read-only memory (EEPROM) 102 holds the contents of a program executed by the microcomputer 101, fixed data prepared in advance, and the like. In the present embodiment, a table representing luminance values of objects (pictures) displayed on the graphic display screen 120 corresponding to the illumination level of the backlight 115 described later is registered as fixed data.

  The interface 103 inputs a signal (IGN +) indicating the state of the ignition switch on the vehicle side to the microcomputer 101.

  The interface 104 is used for communication according to a CAN (Controller Area Network) standard between the microcomputer 101 and various control devices (ECU: Electric Control Unit) and various sensors mounted on the vehicle. Specifically, data representing the current values of various state quantities of the vehicle such as travel speed, supercharging pressure value, fuel amount, etc. are sent from the various control devices or sensors to the microcomputer 101 via the interface 104 as almost real-time data. Entered. For example, the interface 104 receives a vehicle speed pulse signal output from a speed sensor mounted on the vehicle side every time the vehicle moves by a predetermined amount, and the microcomputer 101 as travel speed information indicating the current travel speed value of the vehicle. Output to.

  The interface 104 accepts a signal representing the current value of the supercharging pressure value (boost value) output from the pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the compressed air that is forcibly sent to the internal combustion engine by the supercharger, The information is output to the microcomputer 101 as supercharging pressure information representing the current supercharging pressure value.

  The interface 104 receives information on the fuel amount detected by the fuel sensor and outputs the information to the microcomputer 101.

  The interface 116 is connected to a volume or the like for changing the brightness of the graphic display screen 120 (see FIG. 2), and the driver or the like turns the volume, that is, receives a manually set illumination level. 101. Further, an illuminance sensor (not shown) for detecting ambient brightness may be connected to the interface 116 so that the illumination level obtained by the illuminance sensor is automatically output to the microcomputer 101.

  The CPU power supply unit 105 inputs DC power supplied from the vehicle-side plus-side power supply line (+ B) and generates a DC voltage (Vcc) necessary for the operation of the microcomputer 101. Further, a reset signal is generated as necessary, and an operation for suppressing power supply is performed in accordance with a sleep signal output from the microcomputer 101.

  The liquid crystal display 111 is a display unit, and has a color two-dimensional display screen in which a large number of minute display cells constituted by liquid crystal devices are arranged in the X direction and the Y direction. The liquid crystal display 111 can display desired information such as graphics, characters, and images on a two-dimensional display screen by controlling the display state of a large number of micro display cells individually for each cell. It is an expression indicator.

  Further, a backlight 115 (light source) for irradiating light is disposed on the back surface of the liquid crystal display 111.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a graphic display screen 120 of the liquid crystal display 111. The graphic display screen 120 includes a first display area 31, a second display area 32, and a third display area 33 that are displayed in different areas.

  The first display area 31 is an area where the speedometer 21 indicating the current traveling speed of the vehicle is displayed. In the first display area 31, a speed scale 35 and a hand 36 constituting the speedometer 21 are displayed. The pointer 36 indicates a current traveling speed of the vehicle by pointing a part on the speed scale 35. Also, an image of a tell tale (warning lamp) 51 that is turned on when there is an abnormality in the vehicle is displayed below the inside of the ring 37 representing the outer shape of the speedometer 21.

  The second display area 32 is an area in which the boost meter 22 indicating the current supercharging pressure value (presentation amount) is displayed. The supercharging pressure value is presented as a percentage with respect to a preset maximum value.

  The third display area 33 is an area in which a fuel gauge 23 indicating the current fuel remaining amount is displayed. In the third display area 33, the fuel scale 41 and the bar 40 are displayed. The bar 40 indicates a current remaining fuel amount by pointing a part on the fuel scale 41.

  The scanning position in the Y direction on the display screen of the liquid crystal display 111 is sequentially switched by the output of the Y driver 109. The Y driver 109 sequentially switches the scanning position in the Y direction in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal output from the graphic controller 106.

  The X driver 108 sequentially switches the scanning position in the X direction on the display screen of the liquid crystal display 111 in synchronization with the horizontal synchronization signal output from the graphic controller 106. The X driver 108 controls the display contents on the screen by giving the RGB color image data output from the graphic controller 106 to the display cell at the scanning position.

  The graphic controller 106 displays various graphic elements on the screen of the liquid crystal display 111 according to various instructions input from the microcomputer 101. A frame memory 107 is provided inside the graphic controller 106. In this frame memory 107, three layers on which an image is drawn, layer A, layer B, and layer C, are prepared as data.

  In the present embodiment, the layer A has a different pattern for each meter model as the first pattern for changing the brightness, in this case, the image of the tell tale 51 (see FIG. 2) on a transparent background, that is, a transparent region 53. It is drawn surrounded by. In the layer C, as a second pattern whose brightness does not change, a pattern common to all models, in this case, an image of the speedometer 21, the boost gauge 22, and the fuel gauge 23 is drawn.

  On layer B, a translucent image (mask image) is drawn. The translucent image is, for example, a gray image. When the layer C located on the back side of the layer B is viewed, the luminance of the second picture drawn on the layer C is attenuated by the layer B and drawn. The translucent image drawn on layer B may be expressed in halftone (sometimes referred to as halftone), or may be expressed in a binary dot pattern by an error diffusion method or the like. .

  The microcomputer 101 or the graphic controller 106 writes the display data to the frame memory 107 that holds the display contents for each pixel of each layer A, B, and C, and draws the graphic.

  The graphic controller 106 generates a vertical synchronization signal and a horizontal synchronization signal for two-dimensional scanning of the screen of the liquid crystal display 111, and the layers A, B, and B in the frame memory 107 are synchronized with these synchronization signals. Drawing processing is performed using display data stored at the corresponding address for each C, and the obtained image data is given to the liquid crystal display 111.

  The LCD power supply unit 110 receives DC power supplied from the positive power line (+ B) on the vehicle side, generates predetermined DC power required for display on the liquid crystal display 111, and the liquid crystal display 111. And supplied to the backlight 115 or the like.

  The display control operation of the display device 100 having the above configuration will be described. The display device 100 of this embodiment generates a graphic display screen 120. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the data structure of the layer when the graphic display screen 120 is generated. As described above, the data of the layer A includes the image of the tell tale 51 surrounded by the transparent region 53 as the first pattern displayed on the graphic display screen 120. The layer C data includes images of the speedometer 21, boost meter 22, and fuel meter 23 drawn as the second pattern displayed on the graphic display screen 120.

  The data of layer B includes a translucent (for example, gray) image 65 for changing the luminance of the second pattern drawn on layer C. That is, the graphic controller 106 performs a drawing process in which the brightness of the second pattern drawn on the layer C decreases as the opacity of the translucent image 65 drawn on the layer B increases. In the present embodiment, in order to prevent the luminance values of the images of the speedometer 21, the boost meter 22, and the fuel meter 23 from changing even if the illumination level of the backlight 115 is increased in the entire region of the layer B, A gray image is drawn in which the opacity of layer B is set to be deep enough to match the increase in illumination level.

  When displaying these layers A, B, and C on the display device 100, the layers A, B, and C are superimposed and displayed in a state of being virtually arranged in this order. For this reason, the layer C is displayed in a state where the entire surface is covered with the layer B.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a display control procedure. This control program is stored in the read-only memory 102 and is executed by the microcomputer (CPU) 101.

  The CPU 101 inputs an illumination level set for changing the brightness of the graphic display screen 120 via the interface 116 (step S1). In the present embodiment, the illumination level of the graphic display screen 120 is set stepwise within a range from the minimum value 0 to the maximum value 15.

  The CPU 101 refers to the table held in the EEPROM 102 and determines the luminance value of the graphic display screen 120 corresponding to the illumination level of the backlight 115 (step S2).

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are graphs showing the luminance value of the pattern drawn on the graphic display screen 120 corresponding to the illumination level of the backlight 115. The graph shown in FIG. 5A represents the contents of the table held in the EEPROM 102. The luminance value is expressed as a relative value where the luminance value when the illumination level is the maximum value 15 is 100%.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the brightness value 81 of the image of the tell tale 51 is set so as not to decrease much even if the illumination level is lower than the brightness value 82 of other images. (Here, the lower limit is set to 40%.) In other words, the brightness value 82 of the other image is set to be lower than the brightness value 81 of the image of the tell tale 51 in order to express that the light emitted from the other image is attenuated by the layer B. Therefore, the difference between the two increases as the illumination level decreases. On the other hand, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the illumination level is changed, the luminance value of the telltale image and the luminance value of the other image change in the same manner.

  The CPU 101 changes the shade of the gray image drawn on the layer B so that the luminance value determined in step S2 corresponds to the illumination level (step S3). In other words, the CPU 101 draws a gray image having a light and shade so that the tell tale 51 has a luminance value 81 and the other images have a luminance value 82 in the entire region of the layer B. Thus, when the illumination level is increased and the brightness of the image of the telltale 51 drawn on the layer A is increased, the brightness value 82 of the other image is lowered by the gray image drawn on the layer B. Thereafter, the CPU 101 returns to the process of step S1.

  In this graphic meter 100, for example, when a vehicle enters a tunnel and the surroundings suddenly become dark, the graphic display screen 120 becomes too bright, so that the illumination level of the backlight 115 is lowered automatically or manually.

  Conventionally, the brightness of the entire graphic display screen has decreased to such an extent that the graphic display screen 120 does not become dazzling. In the present embodiment, the brightness of the tell tail 51 is slightly lower, but is higher than the brightness of other images.

  Even if the illumination level is set to the minimum value, the brightness of the tell tale 51 does not fall below the lower limit value defined by the law. In this case, the brightness of the image of the tell tale 51 is higher than that of the other meter images (the speedometer 21, the boost meter 22, and the fuel gauge 23), so that the driver can still see only the image of the tell tale 51.

  On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle passes through the tunnel and the surroundings become bright, it becomes difficult to see the brightness of the entire graphic display screen as it is lowered, so that the illumination level of the backlight 115 is raised. The brightness of the image of the tell tale 51 and the other meter images (the speedometer 21, the boost meter 22, and the fuel meter 23) are both increased, making it easier for the driver to see. In particular, when exposed to direct sunlight, the illumination level of the backlight 115 is increased to the maximum value. In this case, the image of the tell tale 51 and other meter images (speedometer 21, boost meter 22, fuel meter 23) are displayed with the same luminance value. Accordingly, the driver can view the image of the tell tale 51 with the same brightness as other meter images.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another graphic display screen 320. On the graphic display screen 320, an image representing a warning such as a high beam operation is displayed as an image of the tell tale 351. A spotlight image is formed around the pointer. The spotlight image moves according to the movement of the pointer, and the center of the spotlight overlaps the pointer.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, on the graphic display screen 320, the periphery of the tell tale 351 is surrounded by a transparent region. In this case, even if the spotlight image moves downward on the screen in response to the pointer indicating low speed, the transparent area of the tell tale 351 only overlaps the spotlight image, and the spotlight image is not chipped. It does not occur. That is, since the tell tale 351 is surrounded by a transparent area, the tell tale 351 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the area (area inside the ring) where the speedometer 321 as a meter image is displayed. Since the background is transparent, the image of the tell tale 351 can be freely arranged inside the speed meter 321 as long as the image of the tell tale 351 and the image of the speedometer 321 (particularly, the speed scale including the scale) do not directly overlap. it can.

  On the other hand, on the graphic display screen 220 shown in FIG. 6B as a comparative example, the periphery of the tell tale 251 is surrounded by a black region. In this case, if the spotlight image moves downward on the screen in response to the pointer indicating a low speed, the black region of the tell tale 251 overlaps the spotlight image. For this reason, a part of the spotlight is missing and displayed, resulting in poor appearance.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the image of the tell tale 51 and the meter image that is the speedometer 21 can be densely arranged, and the degree of freedom of arrangement is increased and the entire display area can be narrowed. Moreover, the appearance of the speedometer 21 can be improved because the background does not get in the way. That is, when a telltale image surrounded by an opaque region is displayed inside the speedometer, if the background overlaps the pointer image indicating the speed near 0 or the maximum value 180, the image is missing. It was thought that. As a result, it looks bad.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a graphic display screen 120 when the image of the tell tail 51 is moved. On the graphic display screen 120, when other display objects such as a warning display, a parking support system display, and a driving support system display are displayed, the image of the tell tale 51 displayed inside the ring 37 of the speedometer 21. Move.

  Here, the image of the tell tale 51 is shifted to the center side of the speedometer 21, and an alarm message 55 is displayed in an empty space. The warning message 55 is a display of the driving support system such as “Let's be careful about the distance between vehicles”, and is drawn on the layer C.

  As described above, since the image of the tell tale 51 is surrounded by a transparent area, the tell tale 51 can be moved to any position as long as the tell tale 51 image does not directly overlap the speed scale 35 and the ring 37 constituting the speedometer 21. Yes, the freedom of movement is large. Further, since the background of the image of the tell tale 51 is transparent, for example, even if the background overlaps with the image of the pointer 36, the image of the tell tale 51 does not occur, that is, without disturbing the display of the speedometer 21. Can be arranged, and can improve the appearance. In other words, if you try to move a tell tale image surrounded by an opaque area inside the speedometer, the background will easily overlap with images such as pointers, scales, rings, etc., and the movement will be greatly restricted. It was.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and any configuration can be used as long as the functions shown in the claims or the functions of the configuration of the present embodiment can be achieved. Is also applicable.

  For example, in the above embodiment, when increasing the brightness of the tell tale image on the graphic display screen, the brightness of the other images does not change. However, the brightness of the other images is different from the brightness of the tell tale image. It may be changed. Thereby, a further change can be given to a display form.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although applied to the graphic meter mounted in the vehicle, this invention is applicable also to the display apparatus mounted in various apparatuses.
The present invention is not limited to a liquid crystal display, and can be applied to a display device that displays light drawn on a screen by receiving light from a backlight.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful because a more complicated display form can be realized by changing the shading of each pattern when displaying the drawn pattern.

Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the display device according to the present invention are briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [2], respectively.
[1] A first layer (A) in which the first pattern (51) is drawn surrounded by a transparent region (53), and a second layer (B in which a translucent image (65) is drawn ) And a third layer (C) on which the second pattern (21, 22, 23) is drawn as data, and the second layer (B) is the first layer (A) The third layer (C) is virtually placed on the back of the second layer (B), and the second picture (21, 22, 23) is displayed. A display unit (111) for displaying the first picture (51) and the second picture (21, 22, 23) so that the first picture (51) is superimposed on a region to be
A light source (115) for irradiating the display unit (111) with light;
With
When the brightness of the first picture (51) is increased by increasing the illumination level of the light source (115), the shade of the translucent image (65) is increased by an amount corresponding to the increase in the illumination level. Thus, the brightness of the second picture (21, 22, 23) is adjusted so as not to change.
Display device.
[2] The first pattern (51) is drawn to be movable in the first layer (A),
The display unit (11) displays another display object (55) in the area where the first picture (51) was displayed after moving the first picture (51).
The display device according to [1].

  Although the present invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to brighten a specific pattern even if the entire screen is darkened by reducing the amount of light emitted from the light source, and to increase the degree of freedom of arrangement with respect to the specific pattern. There is an effect. The present invention that exhibits this effect is useful for a display device.

21, 221, 321 Speedometer 22 Boost meter 23 Fuel gauge 31 First display area 32 Second display area 33 Third display area 35 Speed scale 37 Ring 38 Pointer 41 Fuel scale 51, 251, 351 Telltale 53 Transparent Area 55 Alarm message 65 Gray image 100 Display device 101 Microcomputer 102 Read-only memory 103, 104, 116 Interface 105 CPU power supply unit 106 Graphic controller 107 Frame memory 108 X driver 109 Y driver 110 LCD power supply unit 111 Liquid crystal display 115 Back Light 120, 220, 320 Graphic display screen 222, 322 Water temperature gauge 223, 323 Tachometer

Claims (2)

A first layer in which the first pattern is drawn surrounded by a transparent region, a second layer in which a semi-transparent image is drawn, and a third layer in which the second pattern is drawn. Data, and the second layer is virtually arranged on the back of the first layer, the third layer is virtually arranged on the back of the second layer, and the second picture A display unit for displaying the first picture and the second picture so that the first picture is superimposed on the area where
A light source for irradiating the display unit with light;
With
When increasing the brightness of the first pattern by increasing the illumination level of the light source, the brightness of the second pattern is increased by increasing the intensity of the translucent image by an amount corresponding to the increase in the illumination level. Is adjusted so as not to change,
Display device. The first pattern is drawn to be movable in the first layer,
The display unit displays another display target in an area where the first design is displayed after moving the first design.
The display device according to claim 1.

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