JP2017222235A - Image display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve continuous displays in a wide range, without using a special specification large sized display device, or generating a discontinuity part between plural display devices.SOLUTION: An actual image formation area AR21, and a virtual image formation area AR3 are positioned so as to be adjacent each other, for combining them. A display is controlled so that the two areas are coordinated, for achieving a seamless display. A display 12 for a virtual image for forming the virtual image formation area AR3 is arranged in a meter hood 22, and an optical image is emitted downward. A half mirror which is arranged in an inclined state is arranged downward of the display 12 for a virtual image, and a virtual image which can be visually recognized from a view point, is formed. A position where the half mirror is arranged, is a position closer to the view point than a screen 11a of an actual image. Thus, two areas can be arranged continuously, avoiding a display frame 11b positioned in the surrounding of the screen 11a of the actual image from becoming a hindrance. When three areas are combined, the area of the virtual image is arranged at a center.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device that can be used to display various information images that are visible to a driver on a vehicle, for example.

  On the vehicle, main information necessary for driving the vehicle, for example, information such as traveling speed and engine rotation speed, is usually displayed on a meter unit in an instrument panel arranged in front of the driver's seat. In addition to these main information, it has been proposed to superimpose and present additional information on the meter unit, such as abnormalities such as ABS and power steering, and images behind the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .)

  In the display device described in Patent Document 1, additional information is projected inside a pointer portion of a mechanical meter that displays information such as traveling speed, that is, an area where main information is displayed. Yes.

JP 2012-250609 A

  In the display device described in Patent Document 1, the amount of information that can be presented to the driver is increased by superimposing and displaying main information and additional information. However, this display device displays additional information in a narrow range such as a pointer portion, and cannot meet the demand for increasing the display area.

  Further, in a vehicle image display device, as a method of expanding an image display area, for example, a large-sized display having a special specification elongated in the horizontal direction is employed, and images and the like are continuously displayed over a wide range in the left-right direction. It is possible.

  However, since a special-purpose dedicated display cannot be manufactured at a low cost like a standard-purpose general-purpose product, the cost is unavoidable. Therefore, it is conceivable to use a plurality of standard-purpose general-purpose displays and to arrange them side by side as shown in FIG. Thereby, it becomes possible to display an image etc. over the wide range of the left-right direction.

  However, around the screen of a general display, a frame, circuit parts, and the like that support it are arranged. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, even if the two displays 51 and 52 are arranged side by side, a frame 53 or the like exists at the boundary between the screens of the two displays. Therefore, the content displayed on the screen of one display 51 and the content displayed on the screen of the other display 52 are visually recognized by the user in a discontinuous state. Therefore, for example, when an image representing a wide range in the horizontal direction is divided into two left and right, and these divided image areas are respectively displayed on the screens of the two left and right displays 51 and 52, the boundary between the two left and right display images is displayed. Due to the presence of discontinuous parts in the user, the user feels uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and its object is to cover a wide range without using a special-purpose large-sized display device or causing discontinuous portions between a plurality of display devices. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image display device that enables continuous display.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an image display device according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to (4).
(1) a first display device having a display surface for displaying a real image;
A second display device that projects an image so that a virtual image is formed in a predetermined area,
The position of the predetermined area is arranged at a position adjacent to the display surface so that the predetermined area and the display surface form a continuous display area.
An image display device characterized by that.

(2) A region that forms a virtual display region common to the first display device and the second display device, allocates a part of the virtual display region to the first region, and is adjacent to the first region A drawing processing unit for assigning to the second area;
A display controller that outputs the contents of the first region to the first display device and outputs the contents of the second region to the second display device;
The image display device according to (1), further comprising:

(3) The light reflecting member for forming a virtual image of the second display device is disposed at a position closer to a predetermined position corresponding to the viewpoint than the display surface of the first display device.
The image display device as described in (1) above, wherein

(4) a first display device having a display surface for displaying a real image;
A third display device that projects a real image on a predetermined area,
The position of the predetermined area is arranged at a position adjacent to the display surface so that the predetermined area and the display surface form a continuous display area.
An image display device characterized by that.

  According to the image display device having the configuration (1), since a plurality of display areas are formed so that the predetermined area and the display surface are continuous, display over a wide range is possible by combining them. That is, by combining the first display device that displays a real image and the second display device that forms a virtual image, the two regions can be arranged adjacent to each other, and there is no shielding on the boundary between these regions. It can be configured as follows.

  According to the image display device having the configuration (2), the display contents are linked so that the first area and the second area are adjacent to each other. Therefore, for example, even when the display contents of the entire virtual display area are updated, the display contents of the first area and the display contents of the second area remain in the display contents of the adjacent areas. Is done.

  According to the image display device having the configuration (3), the real image display surface is located behind the light reflecting member when viewed from the viewpoint, and therefore there is a shielding object such as a frame around the real image display surface. However, the display of the virtual image that is visible from the viewpoint is not obscured by the shield. Therefore, the area for displaying the real image and the area for displaying the virtual image can be continuously arranged.

  According to the image display device having the configuration (4), since a plurality of display areas are formed so that the predetermined area is continuous with the display surface, display over a wide range is possible by combining them. That is, by combining the first display device that displays the real image and the third display device that projects the real image, the two regions can be arranged adjacent to each other, and there is no obstruction at the boundary between these regions. It can be configured as follows.

  According to the image display device of the present invention, an image that enables continuous display over a wide range without using a specially-designed large-sized display device or causing discontinuous portions between a plurality of display devices. A display device can be provided.

  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 (a) and FIG.1 (b) are front views which show the specific example of the external appearance of the meter unit of the vehicle containing the image display apparatus in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a section taken along line A1-A1 in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the image display apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a characteristic operation of the image display apparatus. FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating an arrangement example of each region in the image display device according to the modified example (1). FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating an arrangement example of each region in the image display device according to the modified example (2). FIG. 7 is a front view showing a configuration example of an apparatus in which two general displays are combined.

  Specific embodiments relating to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the appearance and the structure on the mechanism will be described.
Specific examples of the external appearance of a meter unit 100 of a vehicle including an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). Further, FIG. 2 shows a cross section taken along line A1-A1 in FIG.

  The meter unit 100 shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) is disposed on the instrument panel in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, and from the position of the driver's viewpoint, FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). ) Can be visually recognized. The meter unit 100 is used to display various information useful for driving the vehicle, such as a speedometer display image 31 and a vehicle rear image 32, for example.

  An image display device 10 is incorporated in the meter unit 100 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B in order to display a speedometer display image 31, a vehicle rear image 32, and the like. The image display device 10 includes a real image forming area AR21 and a virtual image forming area AR3 that are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

  The real image forming area AR21 is formed as a screen 11a of the real image display 11, and is formed in a rectangular shape. The virtual image forming area AR3 is an area where a virtual image formed by a light image projected by the virtual image display 12 disposed inside the meter hood 22 is visually recognized, and is formed in a rectangular shape. Further, the real image forming area AR21 and the virtual image forming area AR3 are disposed at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction as viewed from the viewpoint.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the meter hood 22 is a cover of the meter unit 100 arranged in a slightly raised state above the instrument panel 21, and sunlight incident through a windshield (window glass) 23 and the like. It is useful for preventing external light such as light from directly entering the display surface and improving display visibility.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the virtual image display 12 is arranged in a state of being fixed to the hollow portion 22 b of the meter hood 22, and the display surface (light emitting surface) 12 b is exposed to the lower surface 22 a of the meter hood 22. Has been placed.

  The virtual image display 12 includes, for example, a transmissive liquid crystal display panel and an illumination light source such as a backlight. A light image corresponding to the screen display content of the liquid crystal display panel is used as the emitted light L of the meter hood 22. The light can be emitted downward from the lower surface 22a.

  A thin plate-like half mirror 24 is fixed below the light exit surface of the virtual image display 12 so as to be inclined by, for example, about 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. Therefore, the emitted light L emitted from the display surface of the virtual image display 12 is reflected by the surface of the half mirror 24 and travels in the direction of the viewpoint EP. The viewpoint EP corresponds to a standard viewpoint position in the driving posture of the driver seated on the driver's seat.

  Therefore, the driver can visually recognize the image of the emitted light L reflected by the surface of the half mirror 24 as the virtual image K at the position of the viewpoint EP. The position where the virtual image K is formed is the virtual image forming area AR3 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and the virtual image K is formed in front of the half mirror 24 (a position far from the viewpoint EP). Is done. Therefore, the half mirror 24 exists on the rear side (position close to the viewpoint EP) with respect to the real image forming area AR21 shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b).

  As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a display frame 11b exists in the peripheral portion surrounding the screen 11a of the real image display 11. That is, since the case needs to be formed larger than the screen 11a in order to support the screen 11a or the like or to arrange circuit components, the display frame 11b is disposed around the screen 11a.

  For example, when two general displays are arranged, a shield corresponding to the display frame 11b is arranged between the two screens, and the two screens are discontinuous as shown in FIG. . However, in the image display device 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the real image forming area AR21 and the virtual image forming area AR3 are arranged in combination, so that the area boundary 30 between them is arranged. There is no shielding, and two areas can be arranged continuously.

  The virtual image forming area AR3 is formed by reflection of the emitted light L by the half mirror 24. And since it is not necessary to provide the shielding like the display frame 11b in the half mirror 24, the whole area | region of the half mirror 24 can be utilized for formation of virtual image formation area AR3. In addition, by arranging the half mirror 24 at a position closer to the viewpoint EP than the display frame 11b of the real image display 11, the display of the virtual image K is not hidden by the display frame 11b. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the real image forming area AR21 and the virtual image forming area AR3 corresponding to the screen 11a are continuously arranged so as to be adjacent to each other at the area boundary 30. can do.

Next, the configuration of the apparatus will be described.
FIG. 3 shows an outline of the entire configuration related to the image display device 10 described above.
As shown in FIG. 3, the image display device 10 includes a real image display 11, a virtual image display 12, a first display control unit 13, a second display control unit 14, an image display frame memory 15, a drawing processing unit 16, The vehicle information acquisition part 17 and the vehicle-mounted camera 18 are provided.

  The real image display 11 is a general display provided with a rectangular screen 11a for displaying a real image, and is configured using a display panel such as a TFT liquid crystal device or an EL display device.

  The virtual image display 12 is a display that projects a display image to form a virtual image that is visible to the driver at the position of the viewpoint EP. For example, the emitted light L corresponding to the image displayed on the screen can be formed by illuminating the display surface of the transmissive liquid crystal display panel with the backlight from the back side. Further, by reflecting the emitted light L using the half mirror 24 shown in FIG. 2 or the like, a virtual image K can be formed at a predetermined position on the back side of the half mirror 24.

  For example, a reflecting mirror can be used instead of the half mirror 24. The half mirror 24 is not necessarily limited to a flat plate shape, and for example, a mirror that functions as a magnifying mirror may be employed.

  The first display control unit 13 performs signal processing so as to determine the content to be displayed on the screen 11 a of the real image display 11 based on the information of the predetermined area recorded in the image display frame memory 15. The second display control unit 14 performs signal processing so as to determine the content to be displayed on the screen of the virtual image display 12 based on the information of the predetermined area recorded in the image display frame memory 15. Further, the predetermined area on the image display frame memory 15 processed by the first display control unit 13 and the predetermined area on the image display frame memory 15 processed by the second display control unit 14 are adjacent to each other. To be determined in advance.

  The image display frame memory 15 is a memory having a function of holding display information of one or a plurality of display frames corresponding to a relatively large virtual display area AR1, for example, in a bitmap format. The contents of a part of the virtual display area AR1 formed on the image display frame memory 15 are displayed on the screen 11a of the real image display 11 by the processing of the first display control unit 13. Further, the contents of another part of the virtual display area AR1 are displayed on the screen of the virtual image display 12 by the processing of the second display control unit 14.

  The drawing processing unit 16 draws the bitmap information to be displayed on the image display frame memory 15 based on the state at that time and the input information. For example, the speedometer display image 31 shown in FIG. 1B and the display pattern corresponding to the vehicle rear image 32 can be drawn on the image display frame memory 15.

  The vehicle information acquisition unit 17 acquires various information required by the meter unit 100 from the vehicle side. For example, information such as current vehicle speed (km / h) information, engine rotation speed (rpm), remaining fuel amount, and shift position of the transmission is acquired. Then, the vehicle information acquisition unit 17 gives the acquired information to the drawing processing unit 16 as display target information such as a speedometer.

  The in-vehicle camera 18 is installed so as to be able to shoot a location outside the vehicle that becomes a blind spot when viewed from the viewpoint EP of the driver. An image obtained by photographing by the in-vehicle camera 18 is input to the drawing processing unit 16 as display target information.

Next, a characteristic operation according to the present embodiment will be described.
A characteristic operation of the image display apparatus 10 is shown in FIG. The operation shown in FIG. 4 will be described below.

  A virtual display area AR1 shown in FIG. 4 is formed on the image display frame memory 15 shown in FIG. The virtual display area AR1 includes a first display area AR1a and a second display area AR1b. Further, the first display area AR1a and the second display area AR1b are arranged at positions adjacent to each other. Therefore, the first display area AR1a and the second display area AR1b are partitioned so as to form a continuous area.

  The first display control unit 13 illustrated in FIG. 3 displays the contents of the first display area AR1a illustrated in FIG. 4 on the screen 11a of the real image display 11 among the contents of the image display frame memory 15. Therefore, the content of the first display area AR1a is displayed at the location of the real image forming area AR21 that is reflected in the driver's field of view AR4.

  On the other hand, the second display control unit 14 shown in FIG. 3 displays the contents of the second display area AR1b shown in FIG. 4 among the contents of the image display frame memory 15 on the screen 12a of the virtual image display 12. The content of the screen 12a is projected as the display target area AR22 shown in FIG. 4 and formed as a virtual image K in the virtual image forming area AR3 that can be visually recognized by the driver.

  Here, as described above, the real image forming area AR21 and the virtual image forming area AR3 are arranged in a continuous state at positions adjacent to each other. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the first display area AR1a corresponding to the real image formation area AR21 and the second display area AR1b corresponding to the virtual image formation area AR3 are also arranged in a state of being adjacent to each other. ing.

  Therefore, the same content as the virtual display area AR1 can be formed as it is in a continuous area in which the real image formation area AR21 and the virtual image formation area AR3 are combined. As a result, the following matters become possible.

  For example, when the image processing unit 16 attempts to draw an image output from the in-vehicle camera 18 on the image display frame memory 15 and the image size (number of pixels) is larger than the screen 11a, a part of the image is displayed on the screen. It protrudes from 11a. However, as shown in FIG. 4, since the first display area AR1a and the second display area AR1b are arranged at positions that are continuous with each other, the drawing processing unit 16 transfers a part of the image to the first display area AR1a. The remaining image that has been written and protruded can be directly written in the adjacent second display area AR1b.

  In the driver's field of view AR4, the real image forming area AR21 where the contents of the first display area AR1a are displayed and the virtual image forming area AR3 where the contents of the second display area AR1b are displayed are adjacent and continuous. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1B, the entire vehicle rear image 32 can be displayed without interruption, that is, seamlessly.

  That is, since the adjacent real image forming area AR21 and virtual image forming area AR3 are not independent of each other but are linked to each other, the drawing processing unit 16 draws display information without being aware of the area boundary 30. Can do. Further, the driver can visually recognize the display image of the real image formation area AR21 and the display image of the virtual image formation area AR3 as continuous images without being aware of the area boundary 30.

<Modification (1)>
FIG. 5 shows an arrangement example of each area in the image display device 10 of the modification (1).
In the modification (1), two real image displays 11 and 11B and one virtual image display 12 are used. Then, the virtual image forming area AR3 is arranged in the center of the meter unit 100 as shown in FIG. 5, the real image forming area AR21A which is the screen of the real image display 11 is arranged at a position adjacent to the left side, and the real image display 11B A real image forming area AR21B, which is a screen, is arranged at a position adjacent to the right side.

  When the virtual image forming area AR3 is formed as a part of the image display device 10 constituting the meter unit 100, for example, the virtual image display 12 is arranged inside the meter hood 22 as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the virtual image forming area AR3 is formed below the area 22.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the virtual image forming area AR3 is arranged at the center of the three areas, the meter hood 22 does not need to be greatly expanded upward, and the meter hood 22 can be downsized. In addition, the display frame 11b that is the boundary shielding object is not visually recognized by the driver at any of the two region boundaries 30 and 30B, and these three regions can be visually recognized without interruption. The virtual image display 12 may be installed at a place other than the meter hood 22.

<Modification (2)>
FIG. 6 shows an arrangement example of each region in the image display device 10 of the modification (2). Also in the modified example (2), the real image display area AR51 and the virtual image formation area AR52 are formed in the driver's field of view AR4 by combining the real image display 11 and the virtual image display 12 described above.

  In the modification (2), as shown in FIG. 6, the real image forming area AR51 and the virtual image forming area AR52 are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. With this arrangement, a square or vertically long rectangular display area can be formed by a combination of the real image forming area AR51 and the virtual image forming area AR52 that are elongated in the horizontal direction. In this case as well, the two regions can be continuously arranged so that the driver does not see the shielding object present at the boundary between the real image forming region AR51 and the virtual image forming region AR52.

<Modification (3)>
In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the real image display 11 and the virtual image display 12 are used in combination, but the real image display 11 and the virtual image display 12 can be changed to a combination of two real images.

  In the modified example (3), it is assumed that the real image display 11 is used to form one real image and the projector is used to form another real image. Therefore, a screen (not shown) is arranged at a position adjacent to the screen 11 a of the real image display 11. Then, a display image is projected by the projector, and a real image is formed on the screen. Thereby, the real image displayed on the screen 11a and the real image displayed on the screen can be arranged so as to be continuous.

  Further, since the screen has a small thickness, it can be arranged so that a part of the screen overlaps the front surface of the display frame 11b. Then, two real image display areas can be continuously arranged so that the display frame 11b does not become a shield of the area boundary 30 when viewed from the viewpoint EP.

Here, the features of the above-described embodiment of the image display device 10 according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4], respectively.
[1] a first display device (real image display 11) having a display surface (screen 11a) for displaying a real image;
A second display device (virtual image display 12, half mirror 24) that projects an image so that a virtual image is formed in a predetermined region (virtual image formation region AR3);
The position of the predetermined area is arranged at a position adjacent to the display surface so that the predetermined area and the display surface form a continuous display area.
An image display device characterized by that.

[2] A virtual display area (AR1) common to the first display device and the second display device is formed, and a part of the virtual display area is allocated to the first area (first display area AR1a). A drawing processing unit (16) for assigning a region adjacent to the first region to a second region (second display region AR1b);
A display control unit (first display control unit 13, second display control) that outputs the contents of the first region to the first display device and outputs the contents of the second region to the second display device. Part 14),
The image display device according to [1], further comprising:

[3] The light reflecting member (half mirror 24) for forming the virtual image of the second display device corresponds to the viewpoint (EP) more than the display surface (real image formation region AR21) of the first display device. Arranged at a position close to a predetermined position,
The image display device according to [1] above, wherein

[4] A first display device (real image display 11) having a display surface for displaying a real image;
A third display device (projector not shown) that projects a real image on a predetermined area,
The position of the predetermined area is arranged at a position adjacent to the display surface so that the predetermined area and the display surface form a continuous display area.
An image display device characterized by that.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image display apparatus 11, 11B Real image display 11a, 12a Screen 11b Display frame 12 Virtual image display 12b Display surface 13 1st display control part 14 2nd display control part 15 Image display frame memory 16 Drawing process part 17 Vehicle information acquisition Part 18 Vehicle-mounted camera 21 Instrument panel 22 Meter hood 22a Lower surface 22b Hollow part 23 Windshield 24 Half mirror 30 Area boundary 31 Speedometer display image 32 Vehicle rear image 100 Meter unit AR1 Virtual display area AR1a First display area AR1b Second display Area AR21, AR21A, AR21B Real image forming area AR22 Display target area AR3 Virtual image forming area AR4 Driver's field of view EP Viewpoint K Virtual image L Output light

Claims (4)

A first display device having a display surface for displaying a real image;
A second display device that projects an image so that a virtual image is formed in a predetermined area,
The position of the predetermined area is arranged at a position adjacent to the display surface so that the predetermined area and the display surface form a continuous display area.
An image display device characterized by that. A virtual display region common to the first display device and the second display device is formed, a part of the virtual display region is allocated to the first region, and a region adjacent to the first region is a second region A drawing processing unit to be assigned to the area,
A display controller that outputs the contents of the first region to the first display device and outputs the contents of the second region to the second display device;
The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The light reflecting member for forming a virtual image of the second display device is disposed at a position closer to a predetermined position corresponding to the viewpoint than the display surface of the first display device.
The image display apparatus according to claim 1. A first display device having a display surface for displaying a real image;
A third display device that projects a real image on a predetermined area,
The position of the predetermined area is arranged at a position adjacent to the display surface so that the predetermined area and the display surface form a continuous display area.
An image display device characterized by that.

Images