JP5200915B2 - Vehicle display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle display device that displays various types of vehicle information.

Conventionally, for example, a driving state display device described in Patent Literature 1 is known as a vehicle display device that displays various types of vehicle information. This operating state display device includes an eco lamp provided in the display unit and a control device that controls turning on / off of the eco lamp. When the control device is set to the economy shift mode that prioritizes fuel efficiency improvement, the eco lamp is turned on if the driving operation by the driver is suitable for fuel efficiency improvement, and if the driving operation is not suitable for fuel efficiency improvement. The eco lamp is turned off. The driver is prompted to perform a driving operation for improving fuel efficiency by visually checking the lighting state of the eco lamp.
JP 2003-220851 A

  However, the above-described driving state display device has a problem that it is difficult for a driver who is driving to visually recognize the eco lamp that is turned on and off. On the other hand, if the size of the eco lamp is increased in order to improve the visibility, the display will flicker when frequently turned on and off, causing the driver to feel troublesome. .

  An object of the present invention is to provide a display device for a vehicle that can reduce the annoyance felt by a passenger due to a change in display state.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

The invention according to claim 1 is a combination of a plurality of single-color light sources that emit light having different emission colors, a single-color light from any of the plurality of single-color light sources, or a mixed light in which light from a plurality of single-color light sources is mixed. A lighting unit that is lit in a predetermined lighting color and a plurality of single-color light sources provided near one end emit light, thereby controlling a light guide plate that lights the lighting unit and a light emission output of the plurality of single-color light sources, respectively. Control means for adjusting the lighting color based on the vehicle state, and the control means linearly changes the light emission outputs of the plurality of single color light sources within a predetermined output change time width when changing the lighting color. The light guide plate is disposed facing the liquid crystal display portion below the liquid crystal display portion disposed so as to face the occupant side above the case body, and the light emitted from the light guide plate is transmitted between the light guide plate and the liquid crystal display portion. The space between the A vehicle display device which is characterized in that proceeds toward the part.

Thereby, when the vehicle state changes, the lighting color of the lighting unit smoothly changes within a predetermined time width, so that the annoyance felt by the occupant can be reduced. Further, since the control of the light emission output of each monochromatic light source can be simplified, the manufacturing cost of the vehicle display device can be reduced.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the control means matches the start and end of the output change time width with a plurality of monochromatic light sources.

Thereby, since the change of the brightness in a lighting part can be decreased, the troublesomeness which a passenger | crew feels can further be reduced .

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the lighting section is background illumination of a display area for displaying a vehicle state.

  Thereby, a wide range of the display area can be lit with a predetermined lighting color. Therefore, since the visibility of the lighting part by the occupant can be improved, the occupant can be made to recognize the vehicle state more reliably.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The vehicle display device according to the present embodiment is provided in front of the vehicle interior of the vehicle so that an occupant can visually recognize the vehicle, and displays various types of vehicle information. FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an external configuration of a vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle display device 1 has a horizontally long information display region 10 that is long in the horizontal direction. A digital display unit 11 for digitally displaying the vehicle speed is disposed at the center of the information display area 10. The digital display unit 11 includes a numerical display unit 12 that displays a numerical value of up to three digits, and a unit display unit 13 that displays a speed unit ("km / h" or "mph"). The digital display unit 11 is turned on by driving a liquid crystal display unit 30 described later.

  Various indicator lights such as turn signal indicator lamps 14 and 15 are arranged on both sides of the digital display unit 11. The information display area 10 is provided with a background portion (lighting portion) 16 that crosses the horizontally long information display area 10 in an arch shape. The background portion 16 is lit in a predetermined lighting color based on the vehicle state as background illumination of the information display area 10.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the vehicle display device 1. The left-right direction of FIG. 2 generally represents the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left side of FIG. 2 is the vehicle front side and the right side is the occupant side. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicular display device 1 includes a resin case body 20 having an occupant-side surface opened, and a smoke glass that covers the opening of the case body 20 and transmits light with a predetermined transmittance. And a cover 21 made of metal. Inside the case body 20, a liquid crystal display unit 30 for lighting and displaying the digital display unit 11 and a background illumination unit 40 for lighting the background unit 16 are provided. The liquid crystal display unit 30 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper side surface of the case body 20 so as to face the occupant side. The background illumination unit 40 is disposed near the side surface on the lower side of the case body 20 so as to face the liquid crystal display unit 30 side. A space 22 is interposed between the liquid crystal display unit 30 and the background illumination unit 40.

  The liquid crystal display unit 30 includes a segment type transmissive liquid crystal panel 31. The liquid crystal panel 31 has a configuration in which liquid crystal is sealed between a pair of transparent substrates. The liquid crystal panel 31 can control transmission / non-transmission of light for each segment by driving the liquid crystal. Behind the liquid crystal panel 31, as a surface light source that uniformly illuminates the liquid crystal panel 31 within the panel surface, a light guide plate (prism) 32 and a plurality of light emitting elements arranged near the end face of the light guide plate 32 to emit white light A diode (LED) 33 is provided. Each LED 33 is mounted on the circuit board 50. The light guide plate 32 guides and mixes the light from each LED 33 that is a point light source to form a surface light source. The occupant can visually recognize the display content displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 30 as a real image through the cover 21.

  A transparent PC sheet 34 made of polycarbonate (PC) is provided close to the passenger side of the liquid crystal panel 31. In the PC sheet 34, a frame-shaped light shielding layer is formed to prevent light leakage outside the digital display unit 11.

  On the passenger side of the PC sheet 34, a PC sheet 35 having a transparent entire surface is provided close to the PC sheet 34. The PC sheet 35 transmits light incident from the liquid crystal panel 31 side to the occupant side and reflects light incident from the background illumination unit 40 side to the occupant side.

  FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the configuration of the background illumination unit 40 viewed from the light exit surface side. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the background illumination unit 40 is a planar light source including a light guide plate 41. The light guide plate 41 has an arch-shaped light emission surface 41 a that is thicker than the background portion 16. In the vicinity of the end faces 41b and 41c located at both arch-shaped base ends of the light guide plate 41, a plurality of LEDs (monochromatic light sources) that emit light with different emission colors are arranged. Specifically, a red LED 42r that emits red light, a green LED 42g that emits green light, and a blue LED 42b that emits blue light are used as a set of LED groups 42, and the LED groups are arranged near the end faces 41b and 41c. Three sets of 42 are arranged. Each LED group 42 is mounted on the circuit board 50.

  The red light, the green light, and the blue light emitted from the red LED 42r, the green LED 42g, and the blue LED 42b, respectively, with predetermined light emission outputs enter the light guide plate 41 from the end surfaces 41b and 41c, and guide each other through the light guide plate 41. The light is mixed and becomes mixed light of a predetermined color, and is emitted almost uniformly within the surface from the light emitting surface 41a. In addition, when two light emission outputs are 0 among red LED42r, green LED42g, and blue LED42b, the light inject | emitted from the light emission surface 41a turns into monochromatic light.

  Returning to FIG. 2, a transparent PC sheet 43 is provided on the light exit surface 41 a side of the light guide plate 41. Although not shown in the drawing, the PC sheet 43 is printed with black halftone dots, a transmission part having an arch shape thinner than the light exit surface 41a of the light guide plate 41, and a light shielding part that shields the other areas. Is formed. In other words, the transmissive part has sparse black dots, and transmits light with a relatively high transmittance. On the other hand, the light shielding part has dense black dots, and transmits light with a lower transmittance than the transmission part, or shields light. At the boundary portion between the transmissive portion and the light shielding portion, the density of the black halftone dots, that is, the light transmittance is changed stepwise.

  The mixed light (or monochromatic light) emitted from the light guide plate 41 passes through the transmission part of the PC sheet 43 and travels through the space 22 in the case body 20 toward the PC sheet 35 side of the liquid crystal display part 30. This mixed light is incident on the surface of the PC sheet 35 and reflected, passes through the cover 21 and is emitted to the passenger side. That is, the virtual image 44 of the background illumination unit 40 is located behind the display surface of the liquid crystal panel 31 (the vehicle front side) for the occupant, and has the same shape as the transmission part of the PC sheet 43 and an arch shape with a blurred outer edge. have. The virtual image 44 is visually recognized by the occupant as a background portion 16 that lights in an arch shape with a predetermined lighting color and a blurred outer edge behind the digital display portion 11 in the information display area 10.

  FIG. 4 mainly shows a circuit configuration of the background illumination unit 40 of the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, only two red LEDs 42r, green LEDs 42g, and blue LEDs 42b are shown. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle display device 1 includes a microcomputer (control means) 60 including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The microcomputer 60 is input with information on the running state of the vehicle via an input circuit (not shown). The microcomputer 60 performs PWM control on the red LED 42r, the green LED 42g, and the blue LED 42b, respectively, based on the running state of the vehicle.

  The two red LEDs 42r are connected in series, the anode terminal side is connected to the positive terminal of the battery, and the cathode terminal side is connected to the ground potential via the constant current circuit 61. Similarly, the two green LEDs 42g are connected in series, the anode terminal side is connected to the positive terminal of the battery, and the cathode terminal side is connected to the ground potential via the constant current circuit 62. The two blue LEDs 42b are connected in series, the anode terminal side is connected to the positive terminal of the battery, and the cathode terminal side is connected to the ground potential via the constant current circuit 63.

  The constant current circuits 61, 62, and 63 are configured by transistors, resistors, and the like, and allow a constant current to flow through the red LED 42r, the green LED 42g, and the blue LED 42b, respectively. The constant current circuits 61, 62, and 63 have switching elements that intermittently pass currents flowing through the red LED 42 r, the green LED 42 g, and the blue LED 42 b based on the PWM signal input from the microcomputer 60. Thereby, a current flows through the red LED 42r, the green LED 42g, and the blue LED 42b at a predetermined duty ratio based on the PWM signal. By controlling the duty ratio by the PWM signal, the light emission outputs of the red LED 42r, the green LED 42g, and the blue LED 42b are adjusted between 0% and 100%.

  The lighting color of the background portion 16 is controlled by adjusting the light emission outputs of the red LED 42r, the green LED 42g, and the blue LED 42b, respectively. The microcomputer 60 controls the lighting color of the background portion 16 based on the vehicle state. For example, the microcomputer 60 lights the background portion 16 in greenish blue when the vehicle state (driving state) is suitable for improving fuel efficiency, and the background portion 16 when the vehicle state is not suitable for improving fuel efficiency. Lights up in amber. The occupant can recognize the vehicle state by the lighting color of the background portion 16.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of temporal changes in the light emission outputs of the blue LED 42b, the green LED 42g, and the red LED 42r when the lighting color of the background portion 16 is changed from greenish blue to amber by the control of the microcomputer 60. . FIG. 5A shows the light emission output of the blue LED 42b, FIG. 5B shows the light emission output of the green LED 42g, and FIG. 5C shows the light emission output of the red LED 42r. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the light emission outputs (duty ratios) of the blue LED 42b, the green LED 42g, and the red LED 42r before the lighting color change (before time T1) are 100%, 50%, and 0%, respectively. In addition, the light emission outputs of the blue LED 42b, the green LED 42g, and the red LED 42r after the lighting color change (after time T4) are 0%, 80%, and 100%, respectively.

  The light emission output of the blue LED 42b is gradually changed from 100% to 0% in the output change time width T2 to T3 (for example, about several seconds) between the time T2 and the time T3 under the control of the microcomputer 60. The change of the light emission output in the output change time widths T2 to T3 is a linear monotonous decrease. The light emission output value at each time within the output change time widths T2 to T3 is calculated by the microcomputer 60 by linear interpolation or the like.

  The light emission output of the green LED 42g gradually changes from 50% to 80% in the output change time widths T1 to T3 (for example, about several seconds) between the times T1 and T3 earlier than the time T2 by the control of the microcomputer 60. ing. The change in the light emission output in the output change time widths T1 to T3 increases linearly and monotonously. The light emission output value at each time within the output change time widths T1 to T3 is calculated by the microcomputer 60 by linear interpolation or the like.

  The light emission output of the red LED 42r gradually changes from 0% to 100% in the output change time width T2 to T4 (for example, about several seconds) between the time T2 and the time T4 later than the time T3 by the control of the microcomputer 60. ing. The change of the light emission output in the output change time widths T2 to T4 is linearly and monotonically increasing. The light emission output value at each time within the output change time widths T2 to T4 is calculated by the microcomputer 60 by linear interpolation or the like.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the lighting color of the background portion 16 is changed, the light emission outputs of the LEDs 42b, 42g, and 42r of the respective colors are gradually changed with a predetermined output change time width. The start and end of the output change time width do not necessarily match in the LEDs 42b, 42g, and 42r of the respective colors, but most of the output change time widths (time T2 to T3) are overlapped, so that the LEDs 42b and 42g of the respective colors are overlapped. , 42r change substantially synchronously. Thereby, the color of the light emitted from the light guide plate 41, that is, the lighting color of the background portion 16, smoothly changes from greenish blue to amber from time T1 to time T4. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the lighting color of the background portion 16 changes, it smoothly changes in a predetermined time width, so that it is possible to reduce the annoyance and discomfort felt by the occupant and the display quality of the display device 1 for the vehicle. Can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the light emission output of each color LED 42b, 42g, 42r changes linearly in each output change time width. Therefore, since the control of the light emission output by the microcomputer 60 in these output change time widths can be simplified, the manufacturing cost of the vehicular display device can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the background portion 16 is lit with a predetermined lighting color based on the vehicle state as the background illumination of the information display area 10. For this reason, compared with the display lamp and warning lamp generally used for the display apparatus for vehicles, the wide area of the information display area 10 can be lighted. Therefore, since the visibility by the occupant is improved, the occupant can be made to recognize the vehicle state more reliably. In this embodiment, since the lighting color changes smoothly, even if the background portion 16 is in a wide range, the troublesomeness felt by the occupant when the lighting color changes is reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in how to change the light emission output of each color LED 42b, 42g, 42r. The configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of temporal changes in the light emission outputs of the LEDs 42b, 42g, and 42r of the respective colors when the lighting color of the background portion 16 is changed from greenish blue to amber under the control of the microcomputer 60 in this embodiment. It is a graph. 6A shows the light emission output of the blue LED 42b, FIG. 6B shows the light emission output of the green LED 42g, and FIG. 6C shows the light emission output of the red LED 42r. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the light emission outputs (duty ratios) of the blue LED 42b, the green LED 42g, and the red LED 42r before the lighting color change (before time T11) are 100%, 50%, and 0%, respectively. In addition, the light emission outputs of the blue LED 42b, the green LED 42g, and the red LED 42r after the lighting color change (after time T12) are 0%, 80%, and 100%, respectively.

  The light emission output of the blue LED 42b gradually changes from 100% to 0% in the output change time widths T11 to T12 (for example, about several seconds) between the times T11 and T12 under the control of the microcomputer 60. The change of the light emission output in the output change time widths T11 to T12 is an exponential or quadratic monotonic decrease, and the amount of change of the light emission output per time is gradually reduced.

  The light emission output of the green LED 42g is gradually changed from 50% to 80% under the same output change time width T11 to T12 as that of the blue LED 42b under the control of the microcomputer 60. The change of the light emission output in the output change time widths T11 to T12 is a monotonically increasing exponential function or a quadratic function, and the change amount of the light emission output per time is gradually decreased.

  The light emission output of the red LED 42r is gradually changed from 0% to 100% under the same output change time widths T11 to T12 as those of the blue LED 42b and the green LED 42g under the control of the microcomputer 60. The change of the light emission output in the output change time widths T11 to T12 is a monotonically increasing exponential function or a quadratic function, and the change amount of the light emission output per time is gradually decreased.

  In the present embodiment, the start time (time T11) and the end time (time T12) of the output change time width coincide with each other in the LEDs 42b, 42g, and 42r. Therefore, since the change in brightness that occurs in the background portion 16 can be reduced, the annoyance felt by the passenger can be further reduced.

  In this embodiment, the amount of time change of the light emission output gradually decreases in each output change time width. For this reason, although the change of the lighting color is visually recognized at the beginning (time T11) of the output change time width, the change of the lighting color is hardly visually recognized at the end (time T12). Therefore, since the change in the lighting color can be felt more smoothly, it is possible to further reduce the annoyance felt by the occupant and further improve the display quality of the vehicle display device.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the light emission output of the LEDs 42b, 42g, and 42r of each color is adjusted by controlling the duty ratio. However, the light emission luminance is adjusted by controlling the current value that flows through the LEDs 42b, 42g, and 42r of each color. May be.

  Moreover, although the lighting color of the background part 16 changed to 2 colors (greenish blue, amber color) in the said embodiment, the lighting color of the background part 16 changed to three or more colors according to a vehicle state. You may come to do.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, three color LEDs 42b, 42g, and 42r are used, and an example in which the lighting color of the background portion 16 is generated by mixing up to three colors of light is given. The lighting color of the background portion 16 may be generated by mixing a maximum of two colors of light, or LEDs of four or more colors may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the background part 16 used as the background illumination of the information display area 10 was mentioned as the example of a lighting part, the comparatively narrow area | region of a part of information display area 10 lights a lighting part partially. It may be an indicator light or a warning light.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although LED was mentioned as an example as a monochromatic light source, light sources other than LED can also be used.

It is a front view which shows typically the external appearance structure of the display apparatus for vehicles in 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the display apparatus for vehicles in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the structure which looked at the background illumination part from the light-projection surface side. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure of the background illumination part mainly of the display apparatus for vehicles in 1st Embodiment. It is a graph which shows an example of the time change of the light emission output of blue LED in 1st Embodiment, green LED, and red LED. It is a graph which shows an example of the time change of the light emission output of blue LED in 2nd Embodiment, green LED, and red LED.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display apparatus 10 for vehicles Information display area 16 Background part (lighting part)
30 Liquid crystal display unit 40 Background illumination unit 41 Light guide plate 42r Red LED (single color light source)
42g Green LED (single color light source)
42b Blue LED (single color light source)
60 Microcomputer (control means)

Claims (3)

A plurality of monochromatic light sources that emit light of different emission colors;
A lighting unit that is lit in a predetermined lighting color by monochromatic light from any of the plurality of monochromatic light sources or mixed light in which light from the plurality of monochromatic light sources is mixed;
A light guide plate that turns on the lighting unit by emitting light from the plurality of monochromatic light sources provided in the vicinity of the one end;
Control means for controlling the light emission output of each of the plurality of monochromatic light sources and adjusting the lighting color based on a vehicle state;
The control means linearly changes the light emission outputs of the plurality of monochromatic light sources in a predetermined output change time width when changing the lighting color ,
The light guide plate is arranged facing the liquid crystal display unit below the liquid crystal display unit arranged to face the passenger side on the upper side of the case body,
The light emitted from the light guide plate travels in a space interposed between the light guide plate and the liquid crystal display portion toward the liquid crystal display portion . The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit matches the start and end of the output change time width with the plurality of monochromatic light sources . The vehicle display device according to claim 1 , wherein the lighting unit is background illumination of a display area that displays a vehicle state .

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