JP2813667B2 - Monitor screen automatic adjustment device for in-vehicle monitor device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a monitor screen automatic adjustment device of a monitor device mounted on an automobile or the like, and more specifically, various changes such as day and night and inside and outside a tunnel. The present invention relates to a device for automatically performing screen adjustment such as brightness, contrast, and color density adjustment of a monitor screen in accordance with an environment outside the vehicle.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, a monitor television has been installed in a car, and it has been used to receive TV broadcasts, play video tapes, or display computer-generated graphics from an image output device to show a map or road information of the area where the vehicle is currently running. It is being provided outside the vehicle to reflect the rear view.

As for such an in-vehicle monitor device, there has been proposed a device for preventing a television broadcast or a video screen from being displayed on a monitor while the vehicle is running in order to ensure safe driving (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 59-91081). JP-A-62-241
No. 747).

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, the map information, the rear view, and the like are necessary displays while the vehicle is running, and it is desired that the display be accurately displayed on a monitor screen that is always easy to see.

By the way, the visibility of the monitor screen is affected by the surrounding brightness.Therefore, when the brightness of the outside of the car changes depending on the driving time zone and driving place, the brightness, contrast, and color of the monitor screen each time. The shading must be adjusted by various adjustment knobs provided on the monitor TV main body, and the operation is very troublesome.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to automatically adjust a monitor screen of an on-vehicle monitor device according to the brightness of the outside of a vehicle, and particularly to adjust the brightness of the image from a television camera or the image from an image output device to the brightness of the outside of the vehicle. The purpose is to automatically and optimally adjust accordingly.

[Means for solving the problem]

For this purpose, the present invention provides a television camera with an auto iris for photographing a natural image outside the vehicle and outputting the image, an image output device for outputting computer graphics such as map information as an image, and an output from the television camera or the image output device. In a vehicle-mounted monitor device having a monitor television for displaying the image, the contrast, brightness, color shading, etc. of the monitor television screen were previously optimally adjusted in accordance with the combination of the video output and the image output and the light / dark environment outside the vehicle. A plurality of adjustment circuits, a Schmitt circuit for outputting a light / dark signal corresponding to a signal from the auto iris, a selection switch for selecting a video output of a television camera or an image output of an image output device, and a signal from the selection switch and a Schmitt circuit. One of the above adjustment circuits according to the combination with the Formed by providing a selection circuit for selecting.

[Action]

In such a means, when the selection switch is selected so that the monitor television displays the video output of the television camera, an adjustment circuit or a circuit for a case where the outside environment is bright due to the light / dark signal from the auto iris of the television camera. One of the adjustment circuits for the case where the outside environment is dark is selected.

Also, when the selection switch is selected so that the monitor television displays the image output of the image output device,
Similarly, an adjustment circuit for the case where the outside environment is bright or an adjustment circuit for the case where the outside environment is dark is selected by the light / dark signal from the auto iris.

Here, the adjustment circuit is a circuit independent of the other adjustment circuits, and is adjusted in advance so that the contrast, brightness, color shading, etc. are appropriate. The video or the image from the image output device is automatically and optimally adjusted according to the brightness outside the vehicle.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a television camera with an auto iris (automatic iris) for photographing a natural image outside the vehicle, reference numeral 2 denotes a monitor television mounted on the vehicle, and reference numeral 3 denotes position information from map information or a gyro compass stored in advance. An image output device which outputs a map or a current location as a computer graphic image synthesized by a computer according to a signal. Reference numeral 4 denotes a manual selection switch for selecting either the video output of the television camera 1 or the image output of the image output device 3. These components constitute a main part of the vehicle-mounted monitor device.

Reference numerals 5, 6, 7, and 8 denote adjustment circuits that can adjust the contrast, brightness, color density, and the like of the monitor television 2, respectively.
Reference numeral 9 denotes a Schmitt circuit that performs a waveform shaping operation. Symbols 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 are AND circuits, respectively, and symbol 1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a knot circuit, which forms a selection circuit.

Here, the video output signal of the television camera 1 is supplied to the adjustment circuit 5.
The image output signal of the image output device 3 is input to the adjustment circuit 7 and the adjustment circuit 8. The signal of the auto iris of the TV camera 1 is input to the Schmitt circuit 9, and is output through the Schmitt circuit 9 only when the outside of the vehicle is bright, and is output when the vehicle is dark. I have.

The output signal of the Schmitt circuit 9 is
The signal is input to the AND circuit 10 and the AND circuit 12, and is input to the AND circuit 11 and the AND circuit 13 via the knot circuit 16.
The AND circuit 10 receives the signal from the adjustment circuit 5, the AND circuit 11 receives the signal from the adjustment circuit 6, the AND circuit 12 receives the signal from the adjustment circuit 7, and the AND circuit 13 receives the adjustment circuit 8
From each other are input.

The X contact signal of the selection switch 4 is supplied to the AND circuit 14.
The Y-contact signal is input to the AND circuit 15, the signals from the AND circuits 10 and 11 are combined and input to the AND circuit 14, and the AND circuit 1 is input to the AND circuit 15.
Signals from 2,13 are joined and input. The signals from the AND circuits 14 and 15 are merged and input to the monitor television 2.

 The operation of the above configuration will be described below.

When the selection switch 4 is switched to the X contact side to select the video output from the TV camera 1, and when the environment outside the vehicle is bright, a signal is input to the AND circuit 10 from the Schmitt circuit 9 and A video output signal from the camera 1 is input via the adjustment circuit 5. As a result, the AND circuit 10 opens and the video output signal enters the AND circuit 14. At this time, the AND circuit 14 opens when the selection switch 4 is on the X contact side and the AND condition is satisfied. The video output signal of the television camera 1 is
And enters the monitor television 2 through which the natural image captured by the television camera 1 is displayed. In this case, since the adjustment circuit 5 is adjusted in advance so that the screen of the monitor TV 2 is most visible when the environment outside the vehicle is bright, an image in which the contrast, brightness, color density, etc. are optimally adjusted is obtained. be able to.

As described above, when the environment outside the vehicle is dark when the image of the television camera 1 is monitored, no signal is output from the Schmitt circuit 9, and therefore the AND condition is not satisfied and there is no output for the AND circuit 10. However, since no signal is output from the Schmitt circuit 9, a signal is output from the knot circuit 16 and is input to the AND circuit 11. At this time, the video output signal from the television camera 1 is input to the AND circuit 11 via the adjustment circuit 6, and the AND circuit 11 is opened. Therefore, the video output signal of the television camera 1 is input to the monitor television 2 via the adjustment circuit 6. In this case, the adjustment circuit 6 adjusts in advance so that the screen of the monitor TV 2 is most easily viewed when the environment outside the vehicle is dark, so that an image in which the contrast, brightness, color shading, etc. are optimally adjusted can be obtained. Obtainable.

Next, a case where the selection switch 4 is switched to the Y contact side to select image output such as a map by computer graphics from the image output device 3 will be described. In this case, if the environment outside the vehicle is in a bright state, the AND circuit 12 is opened by a signal from the Schmitt circuit 9 and a signal from the image output device 3 via the adjusting circuit 7, and if not, the knot circuit 16 is opened. The AND circuit 13 is opened by a signal from the Schmitt circuit 9 via the control circuit 8 and a signal from the image output device 3 via the adjustment circuit 8. Therefore, the image output signal from the image output device 3 is input to the monitor television 2 via the adjustment circuit 7 when the environment outside the vehicle is bright, and is input to the monitor television 2 via the adjustment circuit 8 when the environment outside the vehicle is dark. The adjustment circuit 7 is designed to make the screen of the monitor TV 2 most visible when the environment outside the vehicle is bright, and the adjustment circuit 8 is made to make the screen of the monitor TV 2 most visible when the environment outside the vehicle is dark. It is only necessary to optimally adjust the shading and the like.

Although not shown in the drawings, even when a television broadcast is displayed on the monitor television 2, automatic adjustment according to the environment outside the vehicle can be performed in the same manner as described above. That is, it is provided with an antenna for receiving a television broadcast, a tuner, and the like, and is provided with two adjustment circuits respectively corresponding to a case where the outside environment is bright and a case where the outside environment is dark, and one of the adjustment circuits is performed by a signal from the Schmitt circuit 9 or the knot circuit 16. By configuring so that the circuit is operated, an optimal television broadcast image can be obtained according to the brightness of the environment outside the vehicle.

Further, the monitor TV 2 in the embodiment is a CRT.
A liquid crystal display panel may be used, and a liquid crystal display panel may be used, but the effect is particularly remarkable in a so-called liquid crystal television using the liquid crystal display panel.

When the monitor TV 2 is used for confirming the rear view of a large vehicle, if the adjustment circuit is changed to a black and white display instead of a color display, it is easy to grasp the sense of distance to the vehicle continuing behind, thereby ensuring safety. It has been confirmed by experiments that the property can be improved.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, when the selection switch is selected so that the monitor television displays the video output of the television camera, the environment outside the vehicle is bright due to the light / dark signal from the auto iris of the television camera. Either the adjustment circuit for the vehicle or the adjustment circuit for the case where the outside environment is dark is selected.

Also, when the selection switch is selected so that the monitor television displays the image output of the image output device,
Similarly, an adjustment circuit for the case where the outside environment is bright or an adjustment circuit for the case where the outside environment is dark is selected by the light / dark signal from the auto iris.

Here, the adjustment circuit is a circuit independent of the other adjustment circuits, and is adjusted in advance so that the contrast, brightness, color shading, etc. are appropriate. The video or the image from the image output device is automatically and optimally adjusted according to the brightness outside the vehicle.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent dangerous actions such as re-adjustment of various adjustment knobs on the monitor screen each time the brightness outside the vehicle changes during driving of the vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic monitor screen adjusting device for a vehicle-mounted monitor device according to the present invention. 1… TV camera, 2… Monitor television, 3… Image output device, 4… Selection switch, 5,6,7,8… Adjustment circuit, 9… Schmidt circuit, 10,11,12,13 , 14,15 …… and circuit, 16… knot circuit.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A television camera with an auto iris for photographing a natural image outside a vehicle and outputting the image, and an image output device for outputting computer graphics such as map information as an image.
An on-vehicle monitor device having a monitor television for displaying an output from a television camera or an image output device, the contrast, brightness, and the like of the monitor television screen according to a combination of the video output and the image output and the light / dark environment outside the vehicle.
A plurality of adjustment circuits in which the shading of colors is adjusted optimally in advance; a Schmitt circuit for outputting a light / dark signal corresponding to a signal from an auto iris; and a selection switch for selecting a video output of a television camera or an image output of an image output device. When,
A monitor screen automatic adjustment device for a vehicle-mounted monitor device, comprising: a selection circuit for selecting one of the adjustment circuits according to a combination of a signal from a selection switch and a light / dark signal from a Schmitt circuit.