JP2024007636A - display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for reducing uncomfortable feelings due to installing a display.

SOLUTION: A display device includes: a sheet-like display portion having flexibility; a storage portion that stores the display portion; a driving mechanism capable of drawing the display portion from the storage portion and winding the display portion to the storage portion; and a control portion that operates the driving mechanism so as to change the size of an area of which the display portion is exposed according to information to be displayed in the display portion.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a display device.

In recent years, there has been an increasing need for larger displays to be installed in automobile instrument panels and the like. However, when a large display is permanently installed, there is a disadvantage that it gives the user the impression that the display obstructs the user's view, making the cabin space appear smaller. Particularly when the display is not in use, the display is like a wall that blocks the front view of the vehicle, so the display may feel bothersome to the user.

Therefore, it is also possible to adopt a roll-up type display as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. Patent Document 1 discloses that an electric winding operation is started by a predetermined trigger such as a transition to a power saving mode or an operation timeout.

JP2021-167922A

However, if the display is pulled out to a certain size during use, it may give the user the impression that it obstructs the user's view and may make the cabin space appear smaller. Therefore, the present technology aims to provide a technology for reducing discomfort caused by installing a display.

The display device according to the present technology includes a flexible sheet-like display part, a storage part that stores the display part, and a display part that can be pulled out from the storage part and rolled up into the storage part. The display device includes a drive mechanism and a control unit that operates the drive mechanism to change the size of the area where the display unit is exposed in accordance with information to be displayed on the display unit.

According to the present technology, the area to which the display section is exposed can be minimized, and it is possible to prevent the user from having the impression that the view is obstructed. That is, it is possible to provide a technique for reducing discomfort caused by installing a display.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display device with an exposed display section. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display device that houses a display section. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a display device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of settings regarding information to be displayed on the display unit, size, and position of the display unit. FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example of an exposure area changing process. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of the car navigation system. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of video content and a setting menu. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of map information and video content. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of minimizing the exposed area of the display section. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the size of the exposed area of the display section is changed depending on the length of the character string. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a display device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display device installed on the ceiling within the vehicle interior.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are illustrative, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a display device 1 with a display section 11 exposed. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display device 1 that houses a display section. The display device 1 according to this embodiment is a CID (Center Information Display) installed in an instrument panel 2 of an automobile. The display device 1 includes a flexible sheet-like display section 11, such as a flexible organic EL display, and a first storage section 12 and a second storage section 13 in which the display section 11 is rolled up and stored. It is a flexible display device. The display section 11 has a rectangular shape, and a first storage section 12 is connected to one end in the longitudinal direction, and a second storage section 13 is connected to the other end. Further, the display unit 11 may be an input/output device in which a touch panel is stacked. The first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13 each have a cylindrical housing, and the display section 11 can be wound around an axis (not shown) formed at the center of the cross section. can. That is, a slit along the axial direction is formed on the side surface of the housing, and the display section 11 is pulled out from the slit or rolled up into the slit. Further, the shaft portions of the first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13 are supported by a support section 141 from vertically below. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support portion 141 passes through the groove 21 between the vertically divided instrument panel 2 and protrudes from inside the instrument panel 2 into the vehicle interior. Furthermore, the support portion 141 is capable of sliding in the horizontal direction (specifically, in the left-right direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle) along the groove portion 21 . Note that the groove portion 21 may be a horizontal slit formed in an air outlet of an air conditioner.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the display device 1. As shown in FIG. The display device 1 includes a display section 11, a first storage section 12, and a second storage section 13, as well as a drive mechanism 14, a control section 15, and a sensor 16. The drive mechanism 14 includes the above-mentioned support section 141, an actuator 142 that slides the support section 141 in the horizontal direction, and a winding section 143 that winds up the display section 11 around the above-mentioned shaft portion. The two support parts 141 support the first storage part 12 and the second storage part 13, respectively. The actuator 142 displaces the support portion 141, for example, along a linear guide extending in the horizontal direction (in the left-right direction indicated by the dashed line arrow in FIG. 3). The winding unit 143 may use a motor or a spring, for example, and winds the display unit 11 into the housing of the first storage unit 12 or the second storage unit 13. take. That is, when using a motor, the winding section 143 pulls out or winds up the display section 11 in conjunction with the operation of the actuator 142. When using a spring, the winding section 143 pulls out or winds up the display section 11 according to the distance between the two support sections 141 that changes depending on the operation of the actuator 142.

The control unit 15 is, for example, a processor included in an in-vehicle device, and operates the drive mechanism 14 according to the content of information displayed on the display unit 11. That is, by operating the drive mechanism 14, the size of the exposed area from which the display section 11 is pulled out and the position at which the display section 11 is arranged are changed. In this way, the exposed area of the display section 11 can be made smaller depending on the content of the information displayed on the display section 11, thereby expanding the space within the vehicle interior and reducing the discomfort caused by the installation of the display. Note that the information is controlled to be displayed in the exposed area of the display unit 11. The control unit 15 may operate in cooperation with a processor that outputs a video signal to the display unit 11, or may also serve as a processor that outputs a video signal to the display unit 11. Further, the control unit 15 may be a microcontroller having a built-in memory, or may be connected to a storage device (not shown).

The sensor 16 is, for example, a motion sensor such as a gesture sensor for detecting a user's gesture. The sensor 16 includes, for example, a photodetector that detects infrared rays and a camera, and outputs information according to the movement of the user's arm, hand, or finger. Note that, for example, the control unit 15 may detect a gesture based on information output by the sensor 16, or the sensor 16 may be a module that outputs a result of detecting a gesture. For example, if the user's opening/closing action of both hands or two fingers is detected based on the information output by the sensor 16, the control unit 15 may expand or reduce the exposed area of the display unit 11. .

In the example of FIG. 3, the first storage section 12 includes a first switch 121 disposed on the side of the housing from which the display section 11 is pulled out, and a second switch 122 disposed on the opposite side. has. Further, the second storage section 13 includes a first switch 131 disposed on the side of the housing from which the display section 11 is pulled out, and a second switch 132 disposed on the opposite side. For example, when the first switches 121 and 131 are operated by the user, the control unit 15 causes the display unit 11 to be stored in the first storage unit 12 and the second storage unit 13 (that is, the display unit 11 is (to reduce the exposed area). Further, when the second switches 122 and 132 are operated by the user, the control section 15 causes the display section 11 to be pulled out from the first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13 (that is, the display section 11 is exposed). (to expand the area). The first switches 121, 131 and the second switches 122, 132 may be physical buttons or capacitive switches.

Note that the display device 1 does not need to include the sensor 16. Furthermore, the display device 1 does not need to include the first switches 121 and 131 and the second switches 122 and 132. Even if both are not provided, the control unit 15 can operate the drive mechanism 14 to change the size of the exposed area of the display unit 11 according to the information displayed on the display unit 11. .

<Exposure area change processing>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of settings regarding information to be displayed on the display section 11, size, and position of the display section 11. The table shown in FIG. 4 may be stored in advance in a memory included in the control unit 15, or may be stored in advance in a storage device (not shown) that can be accessed by the control unit 15. good. The table in FIG. 4 includes the following attributes: record number, display information 1, size 1, display information 2, size 2, and position. Identification information that uniquely identifies each record is registered in the record number field. In the display information 1 and size 1 fields, a combination of information to be displayed on the display unit 11 and information indicating the width of the area in which the information is displayed is registered. The display information 2 and size 2 fields contain a combination of the second information when two pieces of information are displayed on the display unit 11 and information indicating the width of the area where the second information is displayed. be registered. In the position field, the coordinates indicating, for example, the position of the left end of the exposed area of the display section 11 when displaying the information shown in each record are registered. Note that the coordinates indicating the position of the right end of the exposed area of the display section 11 can be obtained by integrating the value of the position field and the values of the size 1 and size 2 fields. The position of the support part 141 according to this embodiment can be moved left and right by an actuator 142. Therefore, for example, when a part of the display section 11 is wound up in the first storage section 12 or the second storage section 13, the exposed area of the display section 11 can be adjusted based on the coordinates registered in the position field. It can be placed near the driver's seat or passenger's seat. Note that the table shown in FIG. 4 is an example of a database, and the information may be normalized and stored separately in multiple tables, or denormalized and stored all together in one table, as appropriate. good. Further, three or more pieces of information may be displayed. The information shown in FIG. 4 may be predetermined or may be set by the user.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example of an exposure area changing process. The control unit 15 determines whether the information displayed on the display unit 11 is changed (FIG. 5: S1), and if it is determined that the information has been changed (S1: YES), the size and position of the exposed area of the display unit 11 is changed. (Figure 5: S2). In S2, the drive mechanism 14 is operated to change the exposed area of the display section 11 to a preset size and position based on the information shown in FIG. 4, for example. Note that if it is determined in S1 that there is no change, the determination in S1 is repeated. Further, even after S2 ends, the process shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed while the display device 1 is operating. By changing the exposure area of the display unit 11 within a range according to the information to be displayed on the display unit 11 based on the settings shown in FIG. 4, an appropriate size of the exposure area for displaying information is ensured. At the same time, it is possible to expand the space inside the vehicle as much as possible and reduce the discomfort caused by installing the display.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of the car navigation system. In (1) shown in the upper part of FIG. 6, only map information is displayed on the display unit 11. At this time, the control unit 15 controls the display unit 11 according to the size of the area where the map information is displayed and the value of the position where the display unit 11 is arranged, based on the value set in the record number 1 in FIG. Determine the size and location of the exposed area. Further, for example, when a vehicle approaches an intersection and the car navigation system displays an enlarged view of the intersection on the display unit 11, the control unit 15 determines that the information displayed on the display unit 11 is to be changed in S1 of FIG. . Then, based on the values set in the record No. 2 in FIG. Accordingly, the control unit 15 determines the size and position of the exposed area of the display unit 11. In (2) shown in the lower part of FIG. 6, the exposed area of the display section 11 is expanded to the right, and an enlarged intersection view is displayed at a predetermined size on the left side of the display section 11. At this time, the size of the map information displayed on the right side of the display unit 11 is not changed. In this way, the space inside the vehicle can be expanded as much as possible in situations where an enlarged view is not required, without reducing the visibility of the map information, and the discomfort caused by installing the display can be reduced.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of video content and a setting menu. In (1) shown in the upper part of FIG. 7, only video content is displayed on the display unit 11. At this time, the control unit 15 controls the display unit 11 according to the size of the area where the video content is displayed and the value of the position where the display unit 11 is arranged, based on the value set in the record number 3 in FIG. Determine the size and location of the exposed area. Further, for example, when the user starts an operation related to audio settings and displays a setting menu on the display unit 11, the control unit 15 determines that the information displayed on the display unit 11 is to be changed in S1 of FIG. Then, based on the values set in the record No. 4 in FIG. Accordingly, the control unit 15 determines the size and position of the exposed area of the display unit 11. In (2) shown in the lower part of FIG. 7, the exposed area of the display section 11 is expanded to the right, and a setting menu such as an equalizer is displayed at a predetermined size on the right side of the display section 11. At this time, the size of the video content displayed on the left side of the display unit 11 is not changed. In this way, by changing the size of the exposed area of the display unit 11, the user can change the settings without reducing the visibility of the video content. Further, as shown in record No. 5 in FIG. 4, an operation menu related to playback of video content, such as a chapter menu, may be displayed instead of the setting menu. In this way, you can ensure an appropriate exposure area size for displaying the settings menu without interfering with the viewing of video content, and at the same time, expand the space inside the vehicle as much as possible to accommodate the display when settings are not being operated. The discomfort caused by this can be reduced.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of map information and video content. In (1) shown in the upper part of FIG. 8, only map information is displayed on the display unit 11. At this time, the control unit 15 controls the display unit 11 according to the size of the area where the map information is displayed and the value of the position where the display unit 11 is arranged, based on the value set in the record number 1 in FIG. Determine the size and location of the exposed area. Further, for example, when the user in the passenger seat newly starts viewing video content, the control unit 15 determines that the information displayed on the display unit 11 is to be changed in S1 of FIG. Then, based on the values set in the record No. 6 in FIG. Then, the control unit 15 determines the size and position of the exposed area of the display unit 11. In (2) shown in the lower part of FIG. 8, the exposure area of the display section 11 is expanded to the right, map information is displayed in a changed size on the left side of the display section 11, and video content is displayed on the right side in a predetermined manner. displayed in size. In this way, the size of the exposed area of the display section 11 may be changed, and the display size may be adjusted depending on the content of the information to be displayed. For example, multiple users can use the display device 1 by displaying different content on the driver's seat side and the passenger seat side.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of minimizing the exposed area of the display section 11. For example, based on the record numbered 7 in FIG. 4, only the air conditioning setting menu is displayed on the display unit 11 in FIG. At this time, the size of the exposed area of the display section 11 is the minimum size required to display the setting menu. Here, in the case of a general CID that does not change in size, the display may be visible even when not in use, giving the user the impression that the vehicle interior is small. On the other hand, the display device 1 according to the present embodiment changes the size of the exposed area depending on the information displayed on the display unit 11. Therefore, according to the display device 1, when map information, video content, music content, etc. are not displayed, the exposed area of the display unit 11 can be made smaller, and the comfort in the vehicle interior can be improved. Can be done.

In addition, when further completing the air conditioning settings and closing the setting menu, all or substantially all of the display section 11 may be accommodated in the first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13. Further, for example, even when the accessory power source (ACC power source) of the vehicle is turned off, all or substantially all of the display section 11 may be accommodated in the first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13. Further, for example, hinges may be provided at the connection points between the support section 141 and the first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13 so that the display section 11 can be held horizontally. In this case, after all or substantially all of the display section 11 is housed in the first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13, the display section 11, the first storage section 12, and the second storage section 13 are placed inside the instrument panel 2. It may be possible to accommodate the

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changing the size of the exposed area of the display section 11 according to the length of the character string. In (1) shown in the upper part of FIG. 10, the title of the song displayed on the music content playback screen does not fall within the exposed area of the display unit 11. In such a case, the control unit 15 may operate the drive mechanism 14 to widen the exposed area. In (2) shown in the lower part of FIG. 10, the exposed area of the display unit 11 is expanded to the extent that all the titles of the songs are displayed. Note that such character strings are not limited to song titles, and similar processing may be applied to chapter menus of video content, destination lists of car navigation systems, and the like. Moreover, in order to display not only a character string but also some kind of image to be displayed on the display section 11, the control section 15 may expand the exposure area of the display section 11. In this way, it is possible to ensure an appropriate size of the exposed area for displaying information, and also to expand the space in the vehicle interior as much as possible and reduce discomfort caused by installing the display.

Furthermore, the size of the exposed area of the display section 11 may be changed by a user's operation. For example, when the user opens and closes both hands or two fingers, the sensor 16 shown in FIG.
The control unit 15 expands or reduces the exposed area of the display unit 11. Further, the control unit 15 may reduce or expand the exposed area of the display unit 11 in response to the user's operations on the first switches 121, 131 and the second switches 122, 132 shown in FIG. In this way, the user can change the size of the display section 11 to a desired size by a simple operation.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the display device 1 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the constituent elements corresponding to those in the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, one end of the display section 11 is connected to the winding section 143 of the storage section 12, and the other end is fixed to the support section 141. That is, the display device 1 has only one storage section 12 and one winding section 143. Note that the support portion 141 and the actuator 142 of the drive mechanism 14 are connected to one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the display portion, respectively. Even with this configuration in which the storage section 12 is provided at least on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the display section 11, the size of the exposed area can be changed by winding up the display section 11 within the storage section 12. Furthermore, by changing the positions of the two support parts 141, the position of the display part 11 in the vehicle interior can be changed.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the display device 1 installed on the ceiling inside the vehicle. The display device 1 according to this embodiment is an RSE (Rear Seat Entertainment) system installed on the ceiling of a vehicle interior. Further, the configuration of the display device 1 is the same as the example shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 11. Note that the shaft portions of the first storage section 12 and the second storage section 13 may be supported by the support section 141 from vertically above. When the display device 1 shown in FIG. 3 or 11 is used as a flip-down monitor for RSE, the exposed area of the display section 11 can be reduced depending on the content of the information to be displayed on the display section 11, so that the inside of the vehicle can be It is possible to expand the space and reduce the discomfort caused by installing the display. Furthermore, even a relatively large monitor can be rolled up into the storage section and compactly accommodated in the base of a flip-down monitor connected to the ceiling.

<Others>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Various modifications are possible. For example, the display device 1 may be used for something other than a vehicle-mounted display. Even in devices other than vehicle-mounted devices, the comfort of the space in which the display device 1 is installed can be improved by changing the size of the exposed area of the display section 11 according to the content of the information to be displayed. Further, the direction in which the display section 11 is expanded or contracted is not limited to the horizontal direction, but may be the vertical direction. For example, a vertically long display may be divided into upper and lower sections so that a plurality of pieces of information can be displayed.

1: Display device 11: Display section 12: First storage section 121: First switch 122: Second switch 13: Second storage section 13: Storage section 131: First switch 132: Second switch 14: Winding mechanism 141: Support section 142: Actuator 143: Winding section 15: Control section 16: Sensor 2: Instrument panel 21: Groove section

Claims (8)

a flexible sheet-like display section;
a storage section that stores the display section;
a drive mechanism capable of pulling out the display section from the storage section and winding up the display section into the storage section;
a control unit that operates the drive mechanism to change the size of an exposure area that exposes the display unit according to information displayed on the display unit;
A display device comprising: The display section has a rectangular shape,
The storage section is provided on at least one end of the display section in the longitudinal direction,
The drive mechanism supports one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the display section, respectively,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displaces a position on the one end side and a position on the other end side of the drive mechanism. The display device is installed in a car,
When displaying map information on the display section, the control section expands the exposed area of the display section when the vehicle approaches an intersection, and controls the map information displayed on the display section. The display device according to claim 2, wherein an enlarged view of the intersection is displayed in the expanded exposed area while maintaining the size of the information. The display unit is a touch panel that receives operation input from the user,
When displaying video content on the display unit, when an operation related to video or audio settings or playback of the video content is started, the control unit expands the exposed area of the display unit, and The display device according to claim 2, wherein an operation menu related to setting of the video or sound or playback of the video content is displayed in the expanded exposure area while maintaining the size of the video content displayed on the display unit. . The display device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit expands or reduces the exposed area of the display unit depending on the size of the character string or image displayed on the display unit. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit stores all or substantially all of the display unit in the storage unit when the display unit is not in use. It is also equipped with a gesture sensor that detects user movements.
The display device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit expands or contracts the exposed area of the display unit in response to an operation of the user to open and close both hands or two fingers detected by the gesture sensor. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the display unit is divided in its longitudinal direction and displays different content in each divided area.

Images