JP6508071B2 - Display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device provided with a liquid crystal panel.

  Some conventional display devices change display contents by moving an entity such as a pointer and pointing to a scale. On the other hand, the display devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 easily realize various changes in display contents by displaying an image imitating the above-mentioned entity on the liquid crystal panel.

  However, in the liquid crystal panel, there is a physical limit in making a display image visually recognized in a three-dimensional manner, and it is a drawback that it has a flat appearance in comparison with a display device using an entity. To address this drawback, in the display devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a decorative ring as a substantial object is disposed on the near side in the viewing direction with respect to the liquid crystal panel. Since the decorative ring is viewed three-dimensionally, it is possible to impart a sense of depth to the planar appearance of the liquid crystal panel. Accordingly, the entire display device can be made three-dimensional in appearance by the combination of the liquid crystal panel and the decoration ring.

Patent No. 5180150 Patent No. 4787102

  However, if the decorative ring (that is, the actual object) is disposed on the front side of the liquid crystal panel as described above, a part of the image by the liquid crystal panel is blocked by the actual object and disappears. Unavailable

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a display device capable of effectively utilizing the entire display surface of a liquid crystal panel while giving a sense of depth by combining a liquid crystal panel with an entity. It is to provide.

  The invention disclosed herein employs the following technical means to achieve the above object. Note that the claims and the reference numerals in the parentheses described in this section indicate the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments to be described later, and do not limit the technical scope of the invention. .

The disclosed invention relates to a display device for displaying by irradiating light from the backlight device (30) to the back side of the liquid crystal panel (20), comprising the backlight device, the liquid crystal panel, and between the liquid crystal panel and the backlight device. In the specific display area (G10, G300) which is the display area of the portion (420, 430, 40) disposed in the liquid crystal panel and visually recognized through the liquid crystal panel and the display area of the portion of the liquid crystal panel where the A control device (600) for controlling the display of the liquid crystal panel such that the light transmittance is higher than the display area (G20, G400), and the display surface (20a) of the liquid crystal panel is curved is there.

  According to the above invention, since the entity is disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the backlight device, it is possible to avoid that a part of the image by the liquid crystal panel is blocked by the entity and can not be seen. Therefore, the whole display surface of the liquid crystal panel can be effectively used while combining the substance with the liquid crystal panel to give a sense of depth.

  Further, according to the invention, the display surface of the liquid crystal panel is curved. Therefore, when the user visually recognizes the display device, it can be suppressed that the appearance of the user himself is reflected and visually recognized on the display surface. The above-mentioned "reflection and visual recognition" means that external light which is light from the outside of the display device is reflected by the user and then reflected by the display surface of the liquid crystal panel to be incident upon the user's eyes for visual recognition. That is, according to the above-described invention in which the display surface has a curved shape, the external light reflected by the user is suppressed from being directly incident on the eyes of the user as compared to the case where the display surface has a flat shape. Inclusion is suppressed.

It is a front view of the display apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The figure which shows the display content by entity display mode. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. The disassembled perspective view of FIG. The figure which shows the state which switched and displayed the entity display mode of FIG. 1 to another entity display mode. The figure which shows the state which switched and displayed the entity display mode of FIG. 1 to the entity non-display mode. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control target by the microcomputer of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of display control by the microcomputer of FIG. 2; FIG. Sectional drawing of the display apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the display apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, Comprising: The figure which shows the display content by entity display mode. The figure which shows the state which switched and displayed the entity display mode of FIG. 9 to the entity non-display mode. Sectional drawing which shows typically the vehicle mounting state of the display apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of modes for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, parts corresponding to the items described in the preceding embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description may be omitted. In each embodiment, when only a part of the configuration is described, the other parts of the configuration can be applied with reference to the other embodiments described above.

First Embodiment
A display device D shown in FIG. 1 is a display device for a vehicle assembled to an instrument panel located in a room of the vehicle. The instrument panel is positioned in front of the vehicle with respect to the driver's seat, and the display device D is disposed on the assumption that the driver and the passenger of the passenger seat visually recognize the instrument panel. The display device D displays changes in various physical quantities representing the state of the vehicle, such as the traveling speed of the vehicle and the remaining power of the in-vehicle battery, and displays that when various abnormalities occur. Or display

  As shown in FIG. 2, the display device D mainly includes a case 10, a liquid crystal panel 20, a backlight device 30, a decoration ring 420, a decoration boss member 430, and a circuit board 60. The case 10 is made of a resin having a light shielding property, and accommodates and holds the liquid crystal panel 20, the backlight device 30, the circuit board 60, and the like inside. Arrows indicating the up and down front and back directions in FIG. 2 indicate the gravity direction (that is, up and down direction) and the vehicle front and back direction when the display device D is mounted on the vehicle.

  The liquid crystal panel 20 includes a TFT substrate, a CF substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a polarizing film described below. The TFT substrate includes a thin film transistor (TFT), a transparent electrode (ITO) and a substrate, and the thin film transistor and the transparent electrode are held by the substrate. The CF substrate includes a color filter (CF), a transparent electrode (ITO) and a substrate, and the color filter and the transparent electrode are held by the substrate.

  The TFT substrate and the CF substrate are stacked to be opposed to each other, and the liquid crystal layer is formed by sealing a liquid crystal between the TFT substrate and the CF substrate. The TFT substrate is disposed in the direction in which the substrate is located on the opposite side of the liquid crystal layer (that is, the outside of the stack), and the CF substrate is disposed in the direction in which the substrate is located on the opposite side of the liquid crystal layer (that is, the outside of the stack) It is done. Each of the TFT substrate and the CF substrate has a curved shape, and the details of the shape will be described later.

  The polarizing film is attached to the outside of the above-mentioned lamination among the substrates of the TFT substrate and the CF substrate. The polarizing film is a filter that transmits light vibrating in a predetermined direction and regulates the vibration direction of the light in a predetermined direction. The pair of polarizing films are arranged so that the vibration direction is shifted by 90 degrees.

  The transparent electrodes of the TFT substrate are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the transparent electrodes of the CF substrate are arranged in a plurality of columns, and the plurality of transparent electrodes function as a matrix electrode in which row electrodes and column electrodes are combined. Each intersection of the row electrode and the column electrode corresponds to a pixel of the liquid crystal panel 20 display. The voltage applied to the transparent electrode is controlled by the thin film transistor. The color filter has a red filter, a green filter and a blue filter, and each filter is arranged for each pixel.

  The backlight device 30 includes a light guide plate 31, a reflection plate 32, a diffusion plate 33, and a light source 34 (see FIG. 3). A light emitting diode emitting white light is adopted as the light source 34, and the plurality of light sources 34 are disposed at positions facing the side surface of the light guide plate 31. The light emitted from the light source 34 is incident on the light guide plate 31 from the side, is reflected by the reflection plate 32, travels the inside of the light guide plate 31, and exits from the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the light guide plate 31. The light emitted from the light guide plate 31 is transmitted while being irregularly reflected by the diffusion plate 33. As a result, the entire diffusion plate 33 is in a state of surface light emission, and light that is uniform and less uneven over the entire surface of the liquid crystal panel 20 is emitted from the backlight device 30 to the liquid crystal panel 20.

  The reflection plate 32 is disposed in close contact with the back side of the light guide plate 31. On the other hand, the diffusion plate 33 may be disposed on the front side of the light guide plate 31 with a predetermined gap as shown in FIG. 2 or, similarly to the reflection plate 32, on the front side of the light guide plate 31. It may be arranged closely. The liquid crystal panel 20 is disposed on the front side of the diffusion plate 33 with a predetermined gap 40a therebetween, and the decorative ring 420 and the decorated boss member 430, which are substantial objects, are disposed in the gap 40a. The decorative ring 420 and the decorative boss member 430 are fixed in contact with the front surface of the diffusion plate 33 and are not in contact with the liquid crystal panel 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the decorative boss member 430 has a conical shape that is disposed in a direction that is convex toward the liquid crystal panel 20, and is made of resin in which the conical surface is plated. The decorative boss member 430 is disposed at the center of the decorative ring 420.

  The decoration ring 420 is ring-shaped (annular) formed of a translucent resin, and the decoration ring 420 according to the present embodiment is annular. The decorative ring 420 has a shape that protrudes from the contact surface with the diffusion plate 33 to the front side. A plurality of grooves are formed on the front surface of the decoration ring 420. These grooves are streaks extending in the radial direction of the decoration ring 420, and function as graduations 421 indicated by the pointer image G14.

  The decorative ring 420 is provided with a light guiding portion 422, and the decorative ring 420 and the light guiding portion 422 are integrally formed of resin. A light source 423 of a light emitting diode is attached to the side surface of the light guide 422. The light emitted from the light source 423 enters from the side surface of the light guiding portion 422, travels the inside of the light guiding portion 422 and the decoration ring 420, is reflected by the groove forming the scale 421, and It emits from the front side (left side in Fig. 2). The light reflected by the scale 421 is transmitted through a specific display area G10 described later of the liquid crystal panel 20 and is visually recognized by the user. Therefore, when the light source 423 is turned on, the portion of the scale 421 looks bright.

  The light source 423 is provided with three types of red, green and blue. The microcomputer (microcomputer 61) controls the brightness of each light source 423 to adjust the color of the light emitted from the decoration ring 420. That is, the scale 421 can be visually recognized in a desired color. The decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430 correspond to a decoration member for decorating a display image by the liquid crystal panel 20.

  The liquid crystal panel 20 has a flexible wiring board 21. A terminal 21a formed at the tip of the flexible wiring board 21 is connected to a circuit board 60 on which a microcomputer 61 is mounted. The microcomputer 61 has a processor such as a central processing unit and a memory, and the processor executes programs stored in advance to execute various arithmetic processing. An image signal output from the circuit board 60 to the liquid crystal panel 20 is transmitted to the electrodes of the liquid crystal panel 20 via the flexible wiring board 21. In short, the content of the image displayed on the display surface 20 a of the liquid crystal panel 20 is controlled by the microcomputer 61. The display surface 20 a corresponds to the surface of the CF substrate opposite to the liquid crystal layer or the surface of the polarizing film attached to the CF substrate.

  As described above, each of the TFT substrate and the CF substrate has a curved shape, and the entire liquid crystal panel 20 has a curved shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Therefore, the display surface 20a also has a curved shape. Specifically, the liquid crystal panel 20 has a curved shape around one virtual straight line VL (see FIG. 3). The direction in which the virtual straight line VL extends is horizontal when the display device D is mounted on the vehicle, and coincides with the lateral direction of the vehicle. Since the backlight device 30 has a flat shape while the liquid crystal panel 20 has a curved shape, the separation distance between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30 differs depending on the portion of the liquid crystal panel 20. Specifically, the separation distance at the upper part of the liquid crystal panel 20 is smaller than the separation distance at the lower part. That is, the liquid crystal panel 20 is disposed such that the separation distance becomes larger as it is the lower part.

  The liquid crystal panel 20 has a capacitive touch switch function, and when a touch operation is performed such that the operator touches the display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 with a fingertip F (see FIG. 2), the contact is performed. The operation is detected by the microcomputer 61. The microcomputer 61 executes various controls in accordance with the content of the touch operation. For example, in response to the touch operation, display control is performed to display information on the travel distance of the vehicle on the liquid crystal panel 20.

  The touch switch function is realized by the electrodes 22 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. The electrode 22 is attached to the surface of the liquid crystal panel 20 opposite to the display surface 20 a (that is, the back surface). The electrode 22 forms a capacitance between itself and the fingertip F in contact with the display surface 20a, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the magnitude of the capacitance to the control device 600. The microcomputer 61 determines whether the touch operation has been performed based on the detection signal. That is, when the detected capacitance is larger than the threshold set in advance, it is determined that the touch operation is performed. The microcomputer 61 at the time of such determination corresponds to the determination unit 61b (see FIG. 6) that determines the presence or absence of the touch operation based on the detection signal. The electrodes 22 are provided and held on an insulating resin sheet, and the electrodes 22 are attached to the liquid crystal panel 20 by sticking the resin sheet to the liquid crystal panel 20.

  The circuit board 60 acquires various types of information from an electronic control device provided outside the display device D among the electronic control devices mounted on the vehicle, and controls the display content of the liquid crystal panel 20 based on the acquired information. Specific examples of the information include information representing changes in various physical quantities representing the state of the vehicle, such as the traveling speed of the vehicle and the remaining power of the on-board battery, and information indicating that various abnormalities have occurred.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the case 10 has a dial back plate 11 positioned on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 20, and the dial back plate 11 is formed with an opening 11 a. Thus, a portion of the display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 located inside the opening 11a is a visible region, and the visible region is partitioned and identified by the facing plate 11. Further, the outer edge portion P1 (see FIG. 2) of the liquid crystal panel 20 is covered by the facing plate 11.

  When the light source 34 of the backlight device 30 is turned on, the light emitted from the front surface (light emitting surface 33b) of the diffusion plate 33 passes through the liquid crystal panel 20 and is emitted to the front of the display device D through the opening 11a. Be done. Thereby, the liquid crystal panel 20 is transmitted and illuminated, and the image displayed on the display surface 20 a is visually recognized by the user. Specifically, in accordance with the voltage applied to the electrode disposed for each pixel of the liquid crystal panel 20, the light transmittance (light transmittance) to the corresponding pixel changes.

  For example, for all the electrodes corresponding to the red filter, the green filter and the blue filter, when the microcomputer 61 controls the applied voltage so as to maximize the transmittance, the brightness of the light passing through each filter is maximized. As a result, the corresponding pixel is visually recognized as white. That is, it is visually recognized by the luminescent color of the diffusion plate 33. On the other hand, if the applied voltage is controlled so as to minimize the transmittance for all the electrodes corresponding to each filter, the brightness of the light passing through each filter is minimized. As a result, the corresponding pixel is visually recognized as black.

  About the specific display area G10 which is an area where the transmittance is increased as described above in the display surface 20a, an object positioned on the back side of the area, that is, the decoration ring 420, the decoration boss member 430 or the diffusion plate 33 However, the liquid crystal panel 20 can be viewed through the water. Specifically, among the light emitted from the backlight device 30, the light reflected by the plated portion of the decorative boss member 430 and the light emitted from the inner peripheral edge 420a of the decoration ring 420 are included in the specific display area G10. Is transparently viewed by the user. Furthermore, the light emitted from the light source 423 and reflected by the scale 421 is transmitted through the specific display area G10 and visually recognized. Furthermore, light emitted from a portion of the backlight device 30 positioned on the inner peripheral side of the decorative ring 420 is transmitted through the specific display area G10 and visually recognized by the user as a background image.

  On the other hand, in another display area G20 which is an area of the display surface 20a whose transmittance is controlled to be lower than that of the specific display area G10, an object located on the back side of the area can not be visually recognized. In other words, the light directed from the decorative ring 420 or the decorative boss member 430, which is a substantial object, to the liquid crystal panel 20 does not pass through the other display area G20 and is therefore not visually recognized by the user. The oblique lines shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 do not mean cross-sectional hatching but mean the ranges of other display areas G20, G400 or display area G410.

  As the transmittance is controlled to be higher, the degree to which the light from the entity passes through the liquid crystal panel 20 becomes larger, and the decorative boss member 430, the inner peripheral edge 420a and the scale 421 become clearly visible. On the other hand, as the transmittance is lowered, the light from the decorative boss member 430, the inner peripheral edge 420a and the scale 421 is less likely to be transmitted through the liquid crystal panel 20, so that the light may be blurred and recognized.

  In short, by controlling the transmittance of the liquid crystal panel 20, the entity display mode in which the entity is viewed (see FIGS. 1 and 4) and the entity non-display mode in which the entity is not viewed (see FIG. 5). Can be switched to Further, in the entity display mode, the display device D can also be viewed in the following manner. For example, since the degree of sharpness (degree of blur) of the entity can be controlled in accordance with the degree of transmittance by the liquid crystal panel 20, the degree by which the entity is viewed blurry can be adjusted by adjusting the transmittance. Further, the image displayed in the specific display area G10 and the entity can be superimposed and viewed. Further, by displaying a portion overlapping the entity in the specific display area G10 in a color different from that of the other portions, it is possible to make the entity appear as if it is the display color.

  In the entity display mode shown in FIG. 1, an area including the entire of the decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430 in the display surface 20a is set as the specific display area G10, and the entire outside of the specific display area G10 is other. Is set as the display area G20. In the specific display area G10, a pointer image G14 pointing to the scale 421, a number image G13 representing a numerical value corresponding to the scale 421, and a shadow image G12 are displayed. The shadow image G12 is an image representing an afterimage of the pointer in a manner to image the radar. By controlling the display position of the pointer image G14 according to the vehicle speed, the vehicle speed is displayed by a combination of the pointer image G14 and the scale 421.

  The shadow image G12 is an image simulating a shadow extending from the pointer image G14 to the opposite side in the rotational direction. Therefore, the display position of the shadow image G12 also changes according to the display position of the pointer image G14. The rotation direction length of the shadow image G12 is set longer as the rotation speed of the pointer image G14 is faster.

  In short, in the entity display mode shown in FIG. 1, with the black image displayed in the other display area G20 as a background, the diffusion plate 33, the decoration ring 420, the decoration boss member 430, the pointer image G14, the numeral image G13 and The shadow image G12 is viewed in combination. In addition, since the optical path length in the viewing direction is different between the display surface 20a, the entity, and the diffusion plate 33, parallax is generated due to the difference in focal length. That is, the entity is viewed as existing on the rear side in the viewing direction of the display surface 20a (that is, the back side), and the diffusion plate 33 is viewed as existing on the far side of the entity.

  A black background image is displayed in the other display area G20. Further, in another display area G20, a direction indication image G22 for displaying the direction in which the winker has been operated, a warning image G23 for warning display of various abnormalities, and an icon image G24 are displayed with a background image as a background. The icon image G24 is displayed on a portion of the display surface 20a facing the electrode 22. Therefore, when the part of the icon image G24 in the display surface 20a is touched with the fingertip F, the above-described touch switch function is activated.

  All the images displayed in the other display area G20, that is, the direction indication image G22, the warning image G23, the icon image G24 and the black background image, are rendered opaque by turning off all RGB. It is set. On the other hand, the white background image displayed in the specific display area G10 is set such that the transmittance is totally transmitted by turning on all the RGB.

  In the entity display mode shown in FIG. 4, an area including the decorative ring 420 and the decorative boss member 430 in the display surface 20a is set as the specific display area G300, and the entire outside of the specific display area G300 is the other display area G400. It is set as. In the specific display area G300, a remaining power image G320 representing a battery power remaining amount and a ring image G301 having the same shape as that of the decoration ring 420 are displayed. By displaying the ring image G301 so as to rotate around the decorative boss member 430, the decorative ring 420 is illusive to be actually rotated. This causes the user to recognize that charging is in progress.

  A black background image is displayed in the other display area G400. Furthermore, in another display area G400, a vehicle speed image G401 representing the vehicle speed by a numerical value is displayed with the background image as a background. The background image and the vehicle speed image G401 are set such that the transmittance is less than a predetermined value. On the other hand, the ring image G301 displayed in the specific display area G300 is set such that the transmittance is equal to or more than a predetermined value. In the example of FIG. 4, the transmittance of the remaining power image G <b> 320 is set to less than a predetermined value, so the decorative boss member 430 is not visually recognized. Therefore, the area where the remaining power image G320 is displayed is a part of another display area in which the entity is not visually recognized.

  In the entity non-display mode shown in FIG. 5, the entire display surface 20a is set to the display area G410 displayed with a low transmittance such that the entity can not be viewed. In the display area G410, an effect image G411 set to a low transmittance less than a predetermined value is displayed. Therefore, both the decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430 can not be viewed by the user. The entity non-display mode shown in FIG. 5 is an example of the end effect mode or the start effect mode.

  The drive circuit 63 shown in FIG. 6 is mounted on the circuit board 60, and controls the drive of the thin film transistor described above which the liquid crystal panel 20 has, according to the command signal output from the microcomputer 61. The power supply circuit 64 is mounted on the circuit board 60, and controls the amount of power supplied to the light source 34 of the backlight device 30 in accordance with the command signal output from the microcomputer 61. Specifically, on / off of power supply to the light source 34 is controlled.

  A control device 600 is configured by the microcomputer 61 mounted on the circuit board 60, the memory 62, an input processing circuit, an output processing circuit, and the like. The control device 600 controls the display circuit of the liquid crystal panel 20 by controlling the drive circuit 63, and controls the on / off of the backlight device 30 by controlling the power supply circuit 64.

  The memory 62 stores image data representing various images displayed on the liquid crystal panel 20. The microcomputer 61 also functions as a switching unit 61a that switches the display mode according to the state of the vehicle. For example, when the ignition switch (IGSW 601) is turned on, the power supply to the backlight device 30 is turned on, and the liquid crystal panel 20 is displayed in the start effect mode in which the effect image is displayed while making the entity invisible. . Even when the IGSW 601 is turned off, the liquid crystal panel 20 is displayed in the end effect mode in which the effect image is displayed while preventing the entity from being visually recognized, and thereafter the power supply to the backlight device 30 is turned off.

  After the start effect mode ends, the display position of the pointer image G14 is controlled to indicate the physical quantity based on the physical quantity such as the vehicle speed detected by the sensor 602 during a period until the IGSW 601 is turned off during the normal operation. Specifically, the liquid crystal panel 20 is displayed in the entity display mode shown in FIG. In this case, the display layout of the liquid crystal panel 20 can be changed according to the preference of the user. However, the transmittance of the other display area G20 is less than a predetermined value.

  In the entity display mode illustrated in FIG. 4 when an event satisfying a predetermined condition occurs, such as when the amount of remaining power of the vehicle battery is less than a predetermined value, or when the user requests switching of display, etc. Switch. In the example of FIG. 4, in order to make the decorative boss member 430 not to be visible, the portion of the display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 where the decorative boss member 430 is located on the back side is another display area. Display control. The vehicle speed image G401 is controlled to an image representing the vehicle speed detected by the sensor 602. Also, when another event occurs, the mode is switched to the entity non-display mode exemplified in FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, in order to prevent both the decorative ring 420 and the decorative boss member 430 from being visually recognized, display control is performed so that the entire surface of the display surface 20 a has a low transmittance.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing repeatedly executed by the processor of the microcomputer 61 at a predetermined cycle. First, in step S10, it is determined whether the entity display mode is requested. As an example in which the entity display mode for causing the user to visually recognize the entity is required, there is a case where the physical quantity is displayed by pointing the scale 421 of the decoration ring 420 with the pointer image G14. There are cases where the vehicle speed is displayed as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a case in which the decorative ring 420 is visually recognized without visually recognizing the decorative boss member 430 can be mentioned as a specific example of the entity display mode.

  On the other hand, as an example in which the entity non-display mode in which both the decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430 are not viewed by the user is required, a case in which an image displayed on the liquid crystal panel 20 is noticed may be mentioned. Specifically, a case may be mentioned in which an opening image (see FIG. 5) displayed when the display device D is activated, an ending image displayed when the operation of the display device D ends, and the like.

  When it is determined in step S10 that the display mode is the non-display mode, in the subsequent step S11, effect control is performed to cause the liquid crystal panel 20 to be displayed as follows and not to make all the entities visible. That is, an image having a low transmittance is displayed on the entire surface of the display surface 20a so that the entity can not be visually recognized. That is, the background image and the effect image G411 described above are displayed. In the non-display mode, the entire surface of the display surface 20a does not have to have low transmittance, and at least the display region of the portion where the entity is located on the back side may have low transmittance.

  When it is determined in step S10 that the display mode is set, in the subsequent step S12, the liquid crystal panel 20 is displayed as follows to make at least a part of all the entities visually recognizable, in the specific display area G10. Control the transmittance. The specific display area G10 is set to include the decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430. Further, the pointer image G14, the numeral image G13 and the shadow image G12 are displayed in the specific display area G10. Thereby, when the pointer image G14 points to the scale 421, a physical quantity such as a vehicle speed is displayed.

  In the specific display area G10, the diffusion plate 33 is visually recognized as an area where no substance exists, and an area where the pointer image G14, the numeral image G13 and the shadow image G12 are not displayed. If the transmittance of this region is 100%, the diffusion plate 33 in this case is visually recognized as emitting surface light with the color of the light source 34. That is, with the diffusion plate 33 as a background, the entity, the pointer image G14, the numeral image G13, and the shadow image G12 become visible. The other display area G20 is controlled to have a transmittance lower than that of the specific display area G10. The microcomputer 61 when executing the process of step S10 corresponds to a "switching unit" that switches between the entity display mode and the entity non-display mode.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the backlight device 30, the liquid crystal panel 20, and the decorative ring 420 and the decorative boss member 430 as an entity are provided. The backlight device 30 and the liquid crystal panel 20 are arranged so as to be separated from each other to form a gap 40 a, and the substance is disposed in the gap 40 a so as to be viewed through the liquid crystal panel 20. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the problem that "a part of the image by the liquid crystal panel 20 is blocked by the substance and can not be seen" which occurs when the substance is arranged on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 20. Therefore, the entire display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 can be effectively used while combining the substantial object with the liquid crystal panel 20 to give the display device D a sense of depth.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the entity is viewed on the back side of the image by the liquid crystal panel 20, and the diffusion plate 33 is viewed on the back side of the entity. Therefore, at least three layers of layer display can be realized, and it is possible to improve the appearance of depth.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 has a curved shape. Therefore, when the user visually recognizes the display device D from the front, it is possible to suppress the appearance of the user's own figure from being reflected on the display surface 20 a and to be visually recognized. It may be unnecessary to provide a curved cover.

  The above-mentioned "reflection and visual recognition" means that external light which is light from the outside of the display device D is reflected to the user and then reflected to the display surface of the liquid crystal panel to be incident upon the user's eyes and visually recognized. . If the display surface 20a has a flat shape contrary to the present embodiment, the external light La (see FIG. 2) traveling from the user toward the display surface 20a is reflected as it is without distortion and is reflected to the user's eyes It will be incident, and the appearance of the user itself will be viewed as it is, that is, viewed and reflected. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the display surface 20a has a curved shape, the external light La is distorted and reflected by the display surface 20a. Therefore, it is suppressed that external light La reflected by the user itself enters the eye of the user as it is, and reflection is suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the electrode 22 and the determination unit 61 b are provided. Then, the electrode 22 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the capacitance formed between the finger F and the electrode 22 for touch operation on the liquid crystal panel 20, and the determination unit 61b determines the presence or absence of the touch operation based on the detection signal. judge. Therefore, the effect that a capacitive touch switch function can be provided to the liquid crystal panel 20 is exhibited. This effect is realized by the above-mentioned effect that the curved cover for preventing reflection can be made unnecessary by curving the display surface 20a.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the display surface 20a has a shape curved around one virtual straight line VL. That is, the display surface 20a has a shape curved in one direction. Therefore, the display surface 20a can be manufactured more easily than, for example, a shape curved in multiple directions such as a conical shape.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in the state in which the display device D is installed in the cabin of the vehicle, the direction in which the virtual straight line VL extends is the horizontal direction. That is, the display surface 20a is curved in the vertical direction. Therefore, the external light Lb (see FIG. 2) which enters the vehicle interior from the front windshield of the vehicle and travels to the display device D is diffused in the vertical direction, so the external light Lb is reflected by the display surface 20a and is transmitted to the user. It is possible to suppress the eyes from entering, and it is possible to suppress that the user feels dazzling.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the transmittance of the specific display area G10 of the portion of the liquid crystal panel 20 located on the back side is higher than that of the other display area G20, the specific display area G10 is transmitted through the specific display area G10. Things become easier to see. On the other hand, in the other display area G20, it becomes difficult to visually recognize an object (diffuser plate 33) present on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 20. Therefore, the entity visually recognized through the specific display area G10 becomes noticeable, and it is promoted that the line of sight is attracted to the entity.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a light source 423 for illuminating the decorative ring 420 (substantial object) is provided separately from the backlight device 30. Therefore, on the scale 421 of the decoration ring 420 and the various images displayed on the liquid crystal panel 20, the scale 421 can be clearly viewed in generating the floating feeling, so the parallax is emphasized and the floating feeling is generated. Can be improved.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a scale 421 as an entity is indicated by a pointer image G14. Therefore, it is possible to improve that the scale 421 is visually recognized on the back side of the pointer image G14 to make the appearance with a depth. Furthermore, since the diffusion plate 33 serving as the background of the pointer image G14 is visually recognized on the back side of the scale 421, the sense of depth can be improved.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 20 is controlled so that the other display area G20 becomes a black image. Therefore, the diffusion plate 33 is not visually recognized in the other display area G20, and the luminance of the specific display area G10 is higher than the luminance of the other display area G20. Therefore, to the decorative ring 420 and the decorative boss member 430 The attractiveness can be further improved.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the decoration ring 420 is displayed while the decoration boss member 430 is hidden and the non-display mode (see FIG. 5) in which both the decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430 are not displayed. Switching between display modes (see FIG. 4). As described above, since the entity is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 20, it is easy to hide the desired entity by changing the low luminance region (other region) by the liquid crystal panel 20. Can be realized.

Second Embodiment
In the display device D according to the first embodiment, the decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430, which are decoration members, are adopted as the entity disposed between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30. . Then, the pointer image G14 indicates the scale 421 to display the physical quantity such as the vehicle speed. On the other hand, in the display device Da according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the pointer 40 is adopted as an entity.

  Specifically, in the gap 40 a between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30, a pointer 40 which is a movable entity is disposed. The pointer 40 has a pointer 41 and a boss 42. That is, the decorative boss member 430 is replaced with the boss portion 42. The decorative ring 420 is adopted as a substantial object as in the first embodiment. The pointer 41 and the boss 42 are integrally formed of a translucent resin. The rotating shaft 51 is fixed to the boss portion 42. The rotating shaft 51 is inserted into a through hole 31 a formed in the light guide plate 31, the reflecting plate 32 and the diffusion plate 33, and is rotated by the electric motor 50. The electric motor 50 is attached to the circuit board 60, and the microcomputer 61 controls the driving of the electric motor 50 to control the rotational position of the pointer 40.

  In the entity display mode shown in FIG. 9, an area including the entire rotation area of the pointer 40 in the display surface 20a is set as the specific display area G10, and the entire outer side of the specific display area G10 is another display area G20. It is set. A shadow image G12 of the pointer 40 is displayed in the specific display area G10. By controlling the rotational position of the pointer 40 in accordance with the vehicle speed, the vehicle speed is displayed by a combination of the pointer 40 and the scale 421. The shadow image G12 is an image that simulates a shadow extending from the pointer 41 to the opposite side in the rotational direction. Accordingly, the display position of the shadow image G12 also changes in accordance with the rotational position of the pointer 40. The length in the rotational direction of the shadow image G12 is set longer as the rotational speed of the pointer 40 is faster.

  In short, in the entity display mode shown in FIG. 9, with the black image displayed in the other display area G20 as a background, the diffusion plate 33, the pointer 40, the scale 421 and the shadow image G12 are viewed in combination. In addition, since the optical path lengths in the viewing direction are different between the display surface 20a, the pointer 40, and the diffusion plate 33, parallax occurs due to the difference in focal length. That is, the pointer 40 is viewed to be present on the rear side in the viewing direction of the display surface 20 a, and the diffusion plate 33 is viewed to be present further to the back of the pointer 40.

  In the entity non-display mode shown in FIG. 10, the display surface 20a is a specific display area G300 as a first display area for displaying various information, and a second display area as an area of the entire outside of the specific display area G300. It is divided into another display area G400. The second display area is set to have a low transmittance so that the pointer 40 is not visually recognized, and the rotational position of the pointer 40 is controlled to a position corresponding to the second display area. Therefore, the pointer 40 is not visually recognized by the user.

  In the first display area, a vehicle speed image G401 representing the vehicle speed numerically and a remaining power image G320 representing the remaining power of the on-vehicle battery are displayed. The background portion of the remaining power image G320 in the first display area is displayed in a periodically changing manner. For example, rotation of the background image about the remaining power image G320 represents that charging is in progress. A black background image is displayed in the second display area. Further, in the second display area, a direction indication image G22 for displaying the direction in which the winker is operated is displayed with the background image as a background.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the rotational position of the pointer 40 is controlled such that a part of the pointer 40 is out of the position facing the liquid crystal panel 20. Then, in order to prevent the pointer 40 from being viewed, display control is performed so that the portion of the display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 where the pointer 40 is located on the back side becomes the second display area. That is, in the present embodiment, upon executing the control shown in FIG. 7, save control described below is added. That is, when it is determined in step S10 that the display mode is the non-display mode, save control is performed to save the pointer 40 on the back side of the second display area as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Thereafter, the effect control described above in step S11 is executed.

  In the first display area in the non-display mode, it is not necessary to lower the transmittance to such an extent that the diffusion plate 33 which is an object positioned on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 20 can not be visually recognized. For example, even if the transmittance of the first display area is increased, the pointer 40 is not retracted because the retraction control is performed, and the diffuser plate 33 located on the back side of the pointer 40 is viewed. If the transmittance is 100%, the diffusion plate 33 in this case is visually recognized as emitting surface light with the color of the light source 34.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the pointer 40 (substances) is disposed between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30. Therefore, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the entire display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 can be effectively used while the display device Da is given a sense of depth by combining the pointer 40 as an entity to the liquid crystal panel 20. become.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the pointer 40 is viewed on the back side of the image by the liquid crystal panel 20, and the diffusion plate 33 is viewed on the back side of the pointer 40, thereby realizing at least three-layer display. It can be done and it can look great with depth.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the transmittance of the specific display area G10 of the portion where the pointer 40 is located on the back side is higher than that of the other display areas G20, so the pointer 40 is easily visible through the specific display area G10. Become. On the other hand, in the other display area G20, it becomes difficult to visually recognize an object (diffuser plate 33) present on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 20. Therefore, the pointer 40 visually recognized through the specific display area G10 becomes noticeable, and it is promoted that the line of sight is attracted to the pointer 40. That is, the attractiveness to the pointer 40 can be improved.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the control device 600 controls the liquid crystal panel 20 so that the other display area G20 becomes a black image. Therefore, the diffusion plate 33 is not visually recognized in the other display area G20, and the luminance of the specific display area G10 is higher than the luminance of the other display area G20, so the eye attractiveness to the pointer 40 can be further improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, an actuator (electric motor 50) for moving the substance (the pointer 40) between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30 is provided. According to this, the display change of the liquid crystal panel 20 can be combined with the change of the entity to make various displays.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the entity display mode in which the transmittance of the specific display area G10 is increased to such an extent that the entity (the pointer 40) can be visually recognized, and the entity non A switching unit 61a that switches to the display mode is provided. Therefore, by switching the display of the liquid crystal panel 20, it is possible to easily realize the display in which the entity appears and disappears.

Third Embodiment
As shown in FIG. 11, the display device D according to the present embodiment is disposed to vertically penetrate the hood portion 81 of the instrument panel (instrument panel 80). The structure of the display device D according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the display device D according to the first embodiment, and the display surface 20a has a curved shape. Also, the contents of control by the control device 600 are the same.

  The hood portion 81 is a portion of the instrument panel 80 located in front of the vehicle with respect to the driver, that is, in front of the steering wheel 90 in the vehicle. An opening 80a is formed in the upper surface portion of the hood portion 81 that extends in the horizontal direction, and the display device D is inserted and arranged in the opening 80a.

  The display surface 20 a is divided into an upper display surface 20 a 1 located above the hood portion 81 and a lower display surface 20 a 2 located below the hood portion 81. The lower display surface 20a2 is viewed through the inside of the steering wheel 90 from the viewpoint EP of the driver. The upper display surface 20a1 is viewed through the outside and the upper side of the steering wheel 90 from the viewpoint EP of the driver.

  As described above, even in the display device D in which the instrument panel 80 is vertically penetrated, the configuration in which the display surface 20 a is curved can be applied. In the present embodiment, both the upper display surface 20a1 and the lower display surface 20a2 are curved.

(Other embodiments)
The preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, but the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be variously modified and implemented as exemplified below. Not only combinations of parts which clearly indicate that combinations are possible in each embodiment, but also combinations of embodiments even if they are not specified unless there is a problem with the combination. Is also possible.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the light source 423 is attached to the decoration ring 420, but the light source 423 may be eliminated. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a light source may be attached to the pointer 40 so that the pointer 40 can be illuminated by the light source. The specific display areas G10 and G300 may be set so that the whole entity can be seen, or can be set so that a part of the entity can be seen. It is desirable that the boundary between the specific display areas G10 and G300 and the other display areas G20 and G400 be an image of gradation display in which the luminance gradually changes.

  The decorative member according to the first embodiment is the ring-shaped decorative ring 420, but the decorative member according to the present invention is not limited to the ring shape, and, for example, the pointer image G14 or the pointer 40 It may be an arc shape extending in the rotation direction.

  In the above embodiments, the background image displayed in the other display area G20 is controlled to be black, but the background image is not limited to black and it may be lower in transmittance than the specific display area G10. For example, the color and brightness of the background image may be set arbitrarily.

  In each embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 20 is a full color type, but may be a monochrome type. The present invention is also applicable to a segment liquid crystal panel that is not a matrix type having row electrodes and column electrodes, but has segment electrodes of a predetermined shape and displays an image by the corresponding pixels.

  In each of the above embodiments, in the specific display area, which is the display area of the portion of the display surface 20a of the liquid crystal panel 20 where the entity is located on the back side, the light transmittance is higher than in the other display areas. It is controlled to become. Then, the range of the specific display area and the light transmittance are controlled so that the entire entity can be viewed from the specific display area. However, the range of the specific display area and the light transmittance may be controlled so that the entity is partially visible.

  In each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to the display device D assembled to the instrument panel of a vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this application. For example, an electronic mirror mounted on a vehicle It may be applied to The electronic mirror is attached to a front windshield or a door trim to display an image imitating an image reflected on the mirror and to display an image of the rear of the vehicle. Further, the present invention is not limited to the display device mounted on a vehicle, and may be a display device mounted on a home electric appliance or a game machine such as a pachinko machine or a throttle.

  In the first embodiment, the decoration ring 420 and the decoration boss member 430, that is, the decoration member are adopted as the entity disposed between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30, and in the second embodiment, Guideline 40 is adopted. On the other hand, both of the decorative member and the pointer 40 may be employed. In short, it is preferable that the entity includes at least one of a decorative member for decorating the display image by the liquid crystal panel 20 and the pointer 40 that is rotationally driven. In addition, the pointer 40 may be disposed on the near side in the viewing direction while the decorative member is disposed between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30.

  In the first embodiment, the display surface 20a has a shape curved around a virtual straight line VL extending in the horizontal direction, that is, a shape curved in the vertical direction, and has a shape curved in the vertical cross section shown in FIG. It has a flat shape in the plane. On the other hand, the display surface 20a has a shape curved around an imaginary straight line extending in the vertical direction, that is, a shape curved in the horizontal direction, a flat shape in the longitudinal cross section of the display device, and a shape curved in the cross section It may be In addition, it may be a shape curved around a plurality of virtual straight lines different in direction from each other, that is, a shape curved in any of the longitudinal cross section and the cross section.

  In the second embodiment, the decorative member and the pointer 40 are employed as the entity, and the scale 421 indicated by the entity is indicated by the pointer 40. On the other hand, while the pointer 40 is adopted as an entity, the scale 421 may be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 20 as an image. In this case, the following effects are exhibited. That is, when the pointer 40 is disposed on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 20 instead of the back side, the pointer 40 needs to be separated from the display surface 20 a by the thickness of the boss 42 of the pointer 40. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the pointer 40 is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 20, the distance between the display surface 20a and the pointer portion 41 in the viewing direction can be reduced. Therefore, the difference in the line-of-sight direction distance between the scale image and the pointer 41, that is, the difference in focal length (parallax) can be reduced, so that the visibility of which scale image is pointed can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 20 displays the shadow image G12 representing the shadow of the pointer 40 so that the display position moves as the pointer 40 is rotationally driven. Now, according to the present embodiment, since the parallax between the display surface 20a and the pointer 41 can be reduced as described above, when the shadow image G12 is displayed, the parallax between the shadow image G12 and the pointer 41 can be reduced. . Therefore, since the shadow image G12 can be made to appear to move perfectly with the entity, it can be illusive as if it is an actual shadow, and the reality of the display by the display device D can be improved.

  In each of the above embodiments, the display image displayed on the liquid crystal panel 20 is distorted in accordance with the curvature of the display surface 20a. Thus, the display image is prevented from being distorted and viewed by the viewer as the display surface 20 a is curved. On the other hand, distorting the displayed image in accordance with the curvature may be eliminated.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal panel 20 is disposed such that the distance between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight device 30 increases with increasing distance to the lower part of the liquid crystal panel 20. On the other hand, the liquid crystal panel 20 may be arranged such that the distance between the liquid crystal panel 20 and the lower part of the liquid crystal panel 20 is smaller.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, both the upper display surface 20a1 and the lower display surface 20a2 have a curved shape. On the other hand, either one may be curved. Moreover, the curvature which concerns on the curve of upper side display surface 20a1 and lower side display surface 20a2 may be the same, and may differ.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, as the display surface 20 a is curved, the provision of the curved cover for preventing reflection on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 20 is eliminated. On the other hand, while curving the display surface 20a, a curved cover for preventing reflection may be further provided.

  In each of the above embodiments, it is assumed that the user's fingertip F is brought into contact with the display surface 20a for operation, and the fingertip F is used as the operating body. On the other hand, for example, the user may hold a pen-shaped operating member and operate the operating member in contact with the display surface 20a. In this case, an operating member other than the human body functions as the operating body. In addition, when the user touches the display surface 20a in a gloved state, the glove functions as an operation body.

  The means and / or function provided by the control device 600 can be provided by software stored in a tangible storage medium and a computer executing the same, only software, only hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, if the controller 600 is provided by an electronic circuit that is hardware, it can be provided by a digital circuit or analog circuit that includes a number of logic circuits. Further, the functions provided by the microcomputer 61 in the above embodiments may be provided by a processor.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Liquid crystal panel, 20a ... Display surface, 30 ... Backlight apparatus, 40 ... Pointer (body), 420 ... Decoration ring (body), 430 ... Decoration boss member (body), D, Da ... Display apparatus.

Claims (7)

In a display device for displaying by irradiating light from the backlight device (30) to the back side of the liquid crystal panel (20),
The backlight device and the liquid crystal panel;
An entity (420, 430, 40) disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the backlight device and viewed through the liquid crystal panel;
In a specific display area (G10, G300) which is a display area of a portion of the liquid crystal panel where the substance is located on the back side, the light transmittance is higher than in the other display areas (G20, G400) A control device (600) for controlling the display of the liquid crystal panel;
Equipped with
The display apparatus which is the shape where the display surface (20a) of the said liquid crystal panel curved. A switching unit (61a) for switching between an entity display mode in which the transmittance of the display area is increased to the extent that the entity can be viewed and an entity non-display mode in which the transmittance is reduced to the extent that the entity is not visible The display device according to claim 1 , comprising: An electrode (22) for outputting a detection signal corresponding to an electrostatic capacitance formed between the liquid crystal panel and an operation body (F) for touch operation;
A determination unit (61b) that determines the presence or absence of the touch operation based on a detection signal output from the electrode;
The display device according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display surface has a shape curved around one virtual straight line. The display device according to claim 4 , wherein the direction in which the virtual straight line extends is horizontal in a state of being installed in a room of a vehicle. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a light source (423) for illuminating the entity separately from the backlight device. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the substantial substance includes at least one of a decorating member (420, 430) for decorating a display image by the liquid crystal panel and a pointer (40) rotationally driven. Display device according to one.

Images