JP4917339B2 - Instrument device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display instrument suitable for a vehicle instrument that displays driving information and the like by graphic display of a dial and a pointer using a dot matrix type liquid crystal display or the like.

Conventionally, as this type of vehicle instrument, for example, there is a vehicle electronic meter disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-221915 (Patent Document 1). This conventional instrument is
On the display surface of the liquid crystal display panel, for example, an image for performing an engine oil temperature alarm is displayed so as to overlap the vehicle speed display area, thereby effectively using the display space. Then, by providing a watermark display, the design is given a degree of freedom so that the design can be seen even if the design overlays the design.
JP 2000-221915 A

  However, when the background picture and the upper picture are displayed in a superimposed manner as described above, by displaying the watermark, the background picture of this overlapping portion can be seen to some extent, but the watermark display is made at the overlapping portion of the character and the pointer on the dial. Even if it goes, the overlapping part becomes unclear or the color becomes cloudy, which is insufficient in terms of visibility. For example, if the pointer overlaps the number “3”, it may be mistaken for “8”.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and displays the pointer and dial of the instrument on the dot matrix type display means in a graphic manner, and displays the dial and the dial in a superimposed manner. It is an object of the present invention to further improve the visibility of a portion to be displayed in a superimposed manner.

The instrument device according to claim 1 comprises dot matrix type display means, and display control means for graphically displaying the pointer and dial of the instrument on the display means, and at least numeric display and pointer display of the dial. In the instrument device that is displayed in a superimposed manner, the pointer display is displayed in a semi-transparent manner in the overlapping area of the pointer display and the numerical display, and a specific area that clearly indicates the boundary between the overlapping area and the non-overlapping area there are, characterized in that a specific region consisting of the edge portions in the overlapping region has a width inwardly from said pointer display contour.

  The instrument device according to claim 2 is the instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the specific area is a display in which a color tone density is changed in a color similar to the pointer display, or a display of a background color of the dial. It is characterized by being.

  A meter device according to a third aspect is the meter device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the specific region is a gradation display from the center side to the outside of the pointer display.

According to the meter apparatus according to claim 1, in the overlapping region of the guidance display and the digital display, the superposed region and a non-boundary demonstrating a specific area of the overlapping region has is provided Runode and displays the overlapping portion Visibility increases.

  According to the instrument device of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, since the specific area is displayed in a similar color and the color tone density is changed, the pointer display is made in a state where no border is felt in the pointer display. The outline of is clear.

  According to the instrument device of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the appearance is improved by the smooth display by gradation.

  Next, an embodiment of an instrument device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The instrument device of this embodiment is an example in which the instrument apparatus is applied to a vehicle instrument. FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicular instrument to which an embodiment of an instrument apparatus according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining display control processing of the vehicular instrument. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in a measuring instrument.

  In FIG. 1, a vehicle meter includes a main CPU 1 as display control means, an ignition I / O circuit 2, a data I / O circuit 3, a CPU power supply 4, an EEPROM 5, a graphic controller 6, an LCD power supply 7, and dots as display means. It is composed of a matrix type display 8. The dot matrix type display 8 is composed of, for example, a TFT-LCD (liquid crystal display). The dot matrix type display 8 functions as a full graphic meter, and based on various detection signals supplied from the vehicle side, a speedometer indicating traveling speed, a tachometer indicating engine speed, a fuel gauge indicating remaining fuel, etc. This meter displays an image on the display screen.

  The main CPU 1 receives various detection signals, for example, a traveling speed signal (SPEED), which are detected from the vehicle-side node, by the CAN communication unit via the data I / O circuit 3. The CAN communication unit uses CAN (Controller Area Network) as a communication protocol. The main CPU 1 performs arithmetic processing on the various detection signals such as the received traveling speed signal (SPEED) to generate image data having a plurality of image layer structures, and supplies the image data to the graphic controller 6. At this time, the graphic controller 6 outputs a vertical synchronization signal to the main CPU 1 and the Y driver 82 of the dot matrix display 8, and the CPU 1 outputs image data in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal. The dot matrix type display 8 takes in the image data supplied from the main CPU 1 into the internal graphic data memory, synthesizes the image data having a plurality of image layer structures, and the RGB pixel data together with the horizontal synchronizing signal. 8 to the X driver 81.

  That is, in the graphic controller 6, it is converted into RGB signals, gradation data, etc., and is sent to each pixel of the dot matrix display 8 through the X driver 81 in synchronization with the horizontal synchronization signal. On the other hand, the Y driver 82 synchronizes with the vertical synchronizing signal, and a signal is sent to each pixel, and the pixel at the intersection of the signals of the X driver 81 and the Y driver 82 enters the display state. Further, the X driver 81 and the Y driver 82 are scanned for a predetermined time, whereby an image as a whole is formed on the display surface of the dot matrix display 8.

  As described above, the image data supplied to the graphic controller 6 has a plurality of image layer structures such as a pointer image layer, scale display image data, background image data, warning image data, etc., as shown in FIG. Since image data having such a structure is processed, there is a degree of freedom in expressing (processing) overlapping portions such as dial background, scales, numbers, and pointers, as described below. It becomes easy to process the overlapping portion (superimposed region).

  The main CPU 1 performs the process shown in FIG. 2, and first initializes in step S1. Next, in step S2, a comparison process between the pointer image layer and the scale display image data is performed (data comparison between target layers), and an overlapping portion of images between the target layers is detected in step S3. It should be noted that the detection of the overlapping portion in steps S2 and S3 can be easily detected by conventional image processing, such as performing a logical operation between the dots (pixels) of the image data by comparing the data between the target layers. Can do. Next, in step S4, the detected overlapping portion is processed. In this process, color correction of the entire overlapping portion, change of gradation, and the like are performed.

  Next, in step S5, the specific edge portion of the priority layer for the overlapping portion is processed. In the processing of the specific edge portion, for example, when the pointer and the character overlap, the pointer image layer is set as the priority layer, and color correction and gradation correction are performed so that the specific edge portion of the overlapping portion is darkened. In this gradation correction, gradation correction is performed with similar colors, for example, correction from “yellow” to “orange”. In step S6, the image data is output to the graphic controller 6, and the process returns to step S2.

  Note that, in the process of the image overlapping portion in step S4, processing such as dropping one of the overlapping portions, for example, the color tone on the scale side, may be performed. In other words, this process is also effective because the colors may become cloudy in simple color superposition.

  The display example of FIG. 3 is an example in which the pointer display 10 overlaps the dial number display 20 (in this example, the number “0”), and an overlapping portion 30 (overlapping region) is generated. As illustrated in the two-dot chain line balloon portion in the figure, the edge portion 10E of the pointer display 10 is defined as a “specific region” in the overlapping portion 30 (overlapping region), and this edge portion 10E is the other region of the pointer display 10. In order to clearly indicate the boundary between 10X and the non-overlapping portion 20X (non-overlapping area) of the numerical display 20, the density is changed. That is, the edge portion 10E (specific region) is a display in which the tone density is changed in the same color as the pointer display 10. As a result, no border is felt on the pointer display 10, and the outline of the pointer display 10 becomes clear.

  The edge portion 10E (specific area) may be black and the outline of the pointer display 10 may be made clear. Further, the edge portion 10E may be the background color of the dial, and the inside of the pointer display 10 may be raised. Further, the edge portion 10E may display gradation from the center side of the pointer display 10 to the outside (the direction of the arrow in the figure).

  Since the edge portion 10E is thus provided, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a conventional display in which the pointer display 100 is displayed on the numerical display 200, or as shown in FIG. 4B. As described above, the overlapped portion becomes clearer and the visibility is extremely improved as compared with the pointer display 110 which is simply watermark-displayed on the overlapped portion with the numeral display 200.

  In the embodiment, since the dot matrix type display 8 (or liquid crystal display) is used as the display means, the vehicle instrument itself can be miniaturized.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a dot matrix type LCD is used as the display means, but other display means such as an organic EL or a plasma display may be used.

  In addition, the improvement in visibility in a meter related to driving as in the vehicle meter according to the embodiment can provide a comfortable driving environment, which is a preferred embodiment. The present invention can be applied to other instruments as well.

It is a system block diagram which shows the structure of the instrument for vehicles to which embodiment of the instrument apparatus which concerns on this invention is applied. It is a flowchart explaining the display control process of the instrument for vehicles. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in the instrument for vehicles. It is a figure which shows the example of a display by a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

1 Main CPU (display control means)
6 Graphic controller 8 Dot matrix display 10 Pointer display 10E Edge (specific area)
10X Other area 20 Numeric display 20X Non-overlapping part (non-overlapping area)
30 Overlap (overlapping area)

Claims (3)

A dot matrix type display means, and a display control means for graphically displaying a meter pointer and a dial on the display means, and at least a numerical display and a pointer display on the dial are superimposed and displayed. In the instrument device,
In the overlapping region of the pointer displayed with the numeral display, causes the transflective display the finger needle display, a manifest specific area the boundary between the superposed regions and non-overlapping region, inwardly from the pointer indication of the contour An instrument device comprising a specific region having a width and having an edge portion in the overlapping region. The instrument device according to claim 1,
The instrument device characterized in that the specific area is a display in which the tone density is changed in a color similar to the pointer display, or a display of a background color of the dial. The instrument device according to claim 1 or 2,
The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the specific area is displayed in gradation from the center side to the outside of the pointer display.

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