JP7063524B2 - Electronic mirror device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic mirror device that combines an optical mirror and a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a control of switching from a display by an optical mirror to a display by a liquid crystal display.

In recent years, electronic mirror devices that combine half mirrors and liquid crystal displays have become widespread. The electronic mirror device enables the driver to visually recognize the rear of the vehicle projected on the optical mirror, or to visually recognize the image of the image pickup camera displayed on the liquid crystal display. Switching between the display by the optical mirror and the display by the liquid crystal display is performed, for example, by operating an operation lever attached to the electronic mirror device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an inner mirror system for a vehicle including a display device and a half mirror. This mirror system has a mirror body that incorporates a display device and a half mirror inside, an operation lever member that changes the posture of the mirror body, and a power switch that turns the display device on or off in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever member. And have.

Patent No. 5929509

8 (A) and 8 (B) are a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional electronic mirror device shown in Patent Document 1 and a sectional view taken along the line AA. The electronic mirror device 1 is configured such that a liquid crystal display (LCD) 3 and a half mirror 4 are arranged inside a housing of the vehicle mirror body 2, and the posture of the vehicle mirror body 2 is changed by an operation lever member 5. Has been done. When the operation lever member 5 is moved to the back side as shown in FIG. 8A, the operation lever member 5 is separated from the power switch 6, the power to the liquid crystal display 3 and the image pickup camera (not shown) is turned off, and the operation is performed. The person can visually recognize the rear of the vehicle projected on the half mirror 4. Further, when the operation lever member 5 is moved to the front side as shown in FIG. 8B, the operation lever 5 comes into contact with the power switch 6, the power to the liquid crystal display 3 and the image pickup camera is turned on, and the liquid crystal display is displayed. The image of the rear of the vehicle captured by the image pickup camera is displayed in 3. At this time, since the half mirror 4 is tilted so as to reflect the ceiling of the vehicle, the light reflected by the half mirror 4 is less likely to be directed toward the driver's line of sight, which is displayed on the liquid crystal display 3. The visibility of the image is improved. In the following description, for convenience, the display mode for visually recognizing the reflected image by the half mirror 4 is referred to as a mirror mode, and the display mode for visually recognizing the image displayed by the liquid crystal display 3 is referred to as a display mode.

As described above, in the conventional electronic mirror device, since the power switch 6 is turned off when switching the display from the display mode to the mirror mode, the power must be turned on again to the liquid crystal display 3 when switching from the mirror mode to the display mode. However, as a result, it is necessary to start the liquid crystal display 3, and there is a delay in the time until the image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 8C, the liquid crystal display 3 is off in the mirror mode, and when the power switch 6 is turned on by the operation lever member 5 at time T1, the signal processing device that drives the liquid crystal display 3 is driven. It takes a start-up time Td until the electronic circuit or the like is started, and the image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 3 at the time T2. Therefore, during the period from time T1 to T2, the image on the liquid crystal display 3 is hidden, and the visibility of the electronic mirror device is deteriorated.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic mirror device that prevents deterioration of visibility when switching of display and reduces power consumption. do.

The electronic mirror device according to the present invention includes at least an image pickup means that captures an image of the rear of a vehicle and outputs an image captured image, a display means for displaying an image, and an optical member that transmits a part of light and reflects a part of the light. Switching between the mirror main body that arranges the light inside and the first display mode that enables the visual recognition of the captured image displayed by the display means or the second display mode that enables the visual recognition of the reflected image by the optical member. The display control means has a switching means for enabling the above, a display control means for controlling the display means in response to the switching of the switching means, and a power control means for controlling at least the power of the display means. When the first display mode is switched to the second display mode, the display means is made to display a specific image so that the reflected image can be visually recognized by the optical member, and the power control means is the first. When the duration when the display mode of 1 is switched to the second display mode exceeds a certain time, the power consumption of the display means is limited.

In one embodiment, the power control means stops the power supply from the power supply means to the display means. In one embodiment, the power control means operates the display means in a low power consumption state. In one embodiment, the power control means shifts the display means from a low power consumption state to a normal operating state when interrupted by the switching means. In one embodiment, the power control means supplies power from the power supply means to the image pickup means when the duration of switching from the first display mode to the second display mode exceeds a certain period of time. Stop it. In one embodiment, the power control means operates the imaging means in a low power consumption state. In one embodiment, the power control means shifts the imaging means from a low power consumption state to a normal operating state when interrupted by the switching means. In one embodiment, the display means includes at least a liquid crystal panel and a backlight, and the display control means displays a black image on the liquid crystal panel when the first display mode is switched to the second display mode. It is displayed and the brightness of the backlight is reduced. In one embodiment, the switching means includes an operating lever attached to the mirror body, switching to the first display mode when the operating lever is in the first position, and the operating lever in the second position. When switching to the second display mode. In one embodiment, the switching means further includes a switch that turns on / off depending on the position of the operating lever, and switches to a first display mode or a second display mode depending on whether the switch is turned on or off. In one embodiment, the switching means puts the mirror body or the optical member in a first position when the operating lever is in the first position, and the mirror body or the mirror body or when the operating lever is in the second position. The optical member is placed in the second posture. In one embodiment, the display means is a normally black type that exhibits a black screen when the power is turned off.

According to the present invention, when the duration when switching from the first display mode to the second display mode exceeds a certain time, the power consumption of the display means is limited, so that the electronic mirror device is used. It is possible to reduce the power consumption of the. Further, according to the present invention, when the display mode is switched from the first display mode to the second display mode, the display means is made to display a specific image. Therefore, in that state, the second display mode is changed to the second display mode. When the display mode is switched to 1, it is not necessary to start the display device, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in visibility at the time of switching.

It is a figure explaining the schematic structure of the electronic mirror apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the electronic mirror apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the display switching control program which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the operation of the electronic mirror apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart of display switching of the electronic mirror apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the electronic mirror apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the electronic mirror apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the problem of the conventional electronic mirror apparatus.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are highlighted for ease of understanding of the invention and do not necessarily represent the scale of the actual device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic mirror device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1A, the electronic mirror device 100 of this embodiment is attached near the ceiling of the vehicle, and the driver U can visually recognize the rear of the vehicle by the electronic mirror device 100. 1 (B) and 1 (C) are schematic vertical cross-sectional views of the electronic mirror device 100 (corresponding to the A-A line cross section of FIG. 8), and FIG. 1 (B) shows the electronic mirror device 100 in the mirror mode. The state is shown, and FIG. 1C shows the state of the electronic mirror device 100 in the display mode.

The electronic mirror device 100 has a support member 110 fixed to the ceiling of the vehicle, and a mirror body 120 rotatably attached to the support member 110 via a rotation shaft 112 such as a hinge. The mirror main body 120 is a housing having a rectangular internal space with one side open, and a display device 130 and a half mirror 140 are arranged in front of the display device 130 in the internal space, and the half mirror 140 is housed in the internal space. It is exposed from the open surface of the body. Further, an opening 122 is formed in the lower portion of the mirror main body 120, and one end of the operating lever 150 projects from the opening 122. The other end of the operating lever 150 is connected to the rotating shaft 112, and by rotating one end of the operating lever 150 within the range of the opening 122 around the rotating shaft 112, the mirror body 120 is linked to the rotation of the operating lever 150. You can change your posture.

As shown in FIG. 1 (B), when one end of the operation lever 150 is moved to the innermost side, the mirror body 120 is such that the light reflected by the half mirror 140 is directed substantially toward the line of sight of the driver U. The electronic mirror device 100 is in the mirror mode at any angle or orientation. Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, when one end of the operation lever 150 is moved to the frontmost position, the half mirror 140 projects the ceiling direction of the mirror body 120, and the reflected light thereof is the line-of-sight direction of the driver U. The electronic mirror device 100 is set to the display mode at an angle or orientation such that the image displayed by the display device 130 is oriented substantially toward the line-of-sight direction of the driver U through the half mirror 140. The positional relationship between the display device 130 and the half mirror 140 arranged in the mirror main body 120 is adjusted in advance so that the images in the mirror mode and the display mode are appropriately directed in the line-of-sight direction of the driver U. To.

A changeover switch 160 is attached to a position facing the operation lever 150 on the back surface of the display device 130. The changeover switch 160 is a switch that turns on or off in conjunction with the movement of the operation lever 150. When the operation lever 150 is moved to the back side, the operation lever 150 separates from the changeover switch 160 and the changeover switch 160 turns off. do. When the operation lever 150 is moved toward the front, the operation lever 150 comes into contact with the changeover switch 160, and the changeover switch 160 is turned on.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electronic mirror device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the electronic mirror device 100 includes a display device 130, a changeover switch 160, an image pickup camera 170, a power supply unit 180, and a power control unit 190.

The image pickup camera 170 is installed inside or outside the vehicle so as to take an image of the rear or side of the vehicle. The image pickup data I imaged by the image pickup camera 170 is provided to the display device 130 via wire or wireless.

The power supply unit 180 provides the power PWR supplied from the ACC power supply, the battery, or the like to the display device 130, the changeover switch 160, the image pickup camera 170, and the power control unit 190. As described above, the changeover switch 160 detects the position of the operation lever 150, and displays, for example, an H level detection signal D when the changeover switch 160 is turned on and an L level detection signal D when the changeover switch 160 is turned off. Output to.

The display device 130 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and includes a liquid crystal panel 132, a backlight 134, and a control unit 136. The liquid crystal panel 132 and the backlight 134 have a size corresponding to the internal space of the housing of the mirror body 120. Further, the liquid crystal panel 132 is a normally black type, and the display screen exhibits black when the power is turned off. The electronic circuits and the like constituting the control unit 136 are mounted on, for example, a circuit board, and the circuit board is mounted on a board that supports the liquid crystal panel 132 and the backlight 134.

The control unit 136 includes an electronic circuit for controlling the liquid crystal panel 132 and the backlight 134. The electronic circuit includes a circuit for receiving the image pickup data I from the image pickup camera 170, an image processing circuit for performing image processing of the received image pickup data I, a drive circuit for driving the liquid crystal panel 132 and the backlight 134, and the like. In still one preferred embodiment, the control unit 136 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller such as a ROM / RAM, and controls each unit by executing a program stored in the ROM / RAM.

When the power PWR is supplied from the power supply unit 180, the control unit 136 executes the power-up sequence, resets the programs, registers, and the like, and is placed in an operable state after the activation processing thereof.

The control unit 136 determines the mirror mode or the display mode based on the detection signal D from the changeover switch 160, and controls the display device 130 according to the mirror mode or the display mode. When the electronic mirror device 100 is in the display mode, the control unit 136 receives the image pickup data I from the image pickup camera 170, performs desired processing such as trimming on the received image pickup data I, and processes the image pickup data into a liquid crystal panel. Display on 132. Further, the control unit 136 may control the brightness of the backlight 134 according to, for example, an instruction from a user or, if an illuminance sensor is mounted, the output of the sensor.

On the other hand, when the electronic mirror device 100 is switched from the display mode to the mirror mode (when the changeover switch 160 is switched from on to off), the control unit 136 stops receiving the image pickup data I from the image pickup camera 170, and the control unit 136 stops receiving the image pickup data I. Instead, the liquid crystal panel 132 is made to display a specific image, for example, a black monochromatic image. At this time, the power PWR to the display device 130 is continued, and the circuit power supply of the display device 130 is not turned off. Further, the control unit 136 controls the brightness of the backlight 134 to the minimum. For example, when the brightness of the backlight is controlled by PWM, the duty ratio is controlled so that the on-time is minimized. Displaying black on the liquid crystal panel 132 is substantially the same as turning off the power of the normally black type liquid crystal panel 132, and the driver U visually recognizes the rear of the vehicle reflected by the half mirror 140. be able to.

The power control unit 190 controls the supply of the power PWR to the display device 130 based on the control signal C1 from the control unit 136. When switching from the display mode to the mirror mode, the control unit 136 counts the time from the time of switching to the mirror mode, and if there is no switching to the display mode within a certain period of time, the power to the display device 130 is supplied. The control signal C1 for stopping the supply is output to the power control unit 190. Upon receiving the control signal C1, the power control unit 190 outputs the control signal C2 to the power supply unit 180, and the power supply unit 180 supplies power to the display device 130 in response to the control signal C2. Stop. The power supply unit 180 can include, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a switch SW for selectively stopping only the power to the display device 130. When the power to the display device 130 is turned off, the display screen of the liquid crystal panel 130 becomes black (normal black type), and the mirror mode of the electronic mirror device 100 is continued.

Next, the details of the electronic mirror device of this embodiment will be described. In one preferred embodiment, the control unit 136 executes a switching control program for controlling the operation of the display device 130 in response to switching from the mirror mode to the display mode or from the display mode to the mirror mode.

FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration of the display switching control program according to this embodiment. The display switching control program 200 has a switching detection unit 210 that detects the detection signal D from the changeover switch 160, and switching that determines switching from the display mode to the mirror mode or switching from the mirror mode to the display mode based on the detection signal D. Brightness that controls the brightness of the backlight 134 based on the determination results of the determination unit 220, the display image control unit 230 that controls the image displayed on the liquid crystal panel 132 based on the determination result of the switching determination unit 220, and the switching determination unit 220. The control unit 240, the continuation determination unit 250 that determines whether or not the switch to the display mode has occurred within a certain period of time when the display mode is switched to the mirror mode, and the continuation determination unit 250 continue the mirror mode. It has a control signal output unit 260 that outputs a control signal C1 to the power control unit 190 when it is determined that the time is longer than a certain time.

Next, the operation of the electronic mirror device will be described with reference to the flow of FIG. When the engine of the vehicle is started or when the ACC power is turned on, the power PWR is supplied from the power supply unit 180 to the display device 130, the changeover switch 160, and the image pickup camera 170 (S100). The control unit 136 starts the start-up process in response to the input of the power PWR (S110). As a result, the display device 130 becomes operable. In addition, the image pickup camera 170 is also activated, and after that, it becomes operable. In the above method, the power supply unit 180 directly supplies power to the image pickup camera 170, but the activated control unit 136 may supply power to the image pickup camera 170.

Next, the switching detection unit 210 detects the detection signal D from the changeover switch 160 (S120), and the switching determination unit 220 changes from the H level to the L level based on the detection signal D (for example, the detection signal D transitions from the H level to the L level). Alternatively, the detection signal D transitions from the L level to the H level), and it is determined to switch to the display mode or the mirror mode (S130). When it is determined to switch to the display mode (S140), the display image control unit 230 displays the image pickup data I captured by the image pickup camera 170 behind the vehicle on the liquid crystal panel 132 (S150). Further, the brightness control unit 240 drives the backlight 134 with a predetermined brightness. As a result, the driver can visually recognize the image pickup data I displayed behind the vehicle on the liquid crystal panel 132 via the half mirror 140.

On the other hand, when it is determined to switch to the mirror mode (S160), the display image control unit 230 stops the display of the image pickup data by the image pickup camera 170, and instead causes the liquid crystal panel 132 to display black color to control the luminance. The unit 240 drives the backlight 134 so that the brightness is minimized (S170). For example, the display image control unit 230 holds image data to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 132 in advance in a memory or the like in the mirror mode, and the brightness control unit 240 controls the brightness of the backlight in the mirror mode. The luminance data for this purpose is stored in a memory or the like in advance. By displaying the liquid crystal panel 132 in black, the back surface side of the half mirror 140 becomes darker than the front surface side, so that the driver can visually recognize the image of the rear of the vehicle reflected by the half mirror 140.

Further, when the display mode is switched to the mirror mode, the continuation determination unit 250 determines whether or not the switch to the display mode has occurred within a certain period of time, in other words, whether or not the mirror mode has been continued for a certain period of time or longer. It is determined whether or not (S180). The continuation determination unit 250 includes, for example, a counter that measures the time from the time of switching, and the counter is reset when the switch to the mirror mode is performed and stopped when the switch to the display mode is performed. Then, when the count value of the counter becomes a certain value or more, the continuation determination unit 250 may determine that the continuation of the mirror mode is a certain time or more.

When it is determined that the mirror mode continues for a certain period of time or longer, the control signal output unit 260 outputs a control signal C1 for stopping the power supply to the display device 130 to the power control unit 190, and the power control unit 190 outputs the control signal C1. , The control signal C2 is output to the power supply unit 180 in response to the control signal C1 (S190). The power supply unit 180 stops supplying power to the display device 130 in response to the control signal C2 (S200). If the continuation of the mirror mode is longer than a certain period of time, the driver presumes that the switch to the display mode will not be performed immediately, and turns off the power of the display device 130 to reduce the power consumption.

On the other hand, if there is a switch to the display mode before a certain time has elapsed after the switch to the mirror mode is performed, the switch from the mirror mode to the display mode is performed (S140). In this case, since the power of the display device 130 is not turned off, the image pickup data I from the image pickup camera 170 is immediately displayed on the liquid crystal panel 132 without starting the display device 130. Therefore, it is possible to prevent display loss or display delay at the time of switching.

Next, the operation when switching from the mirror mode to the display mode in the state where the power of the display device 130 is turned off will be described. At the time of switching, power is not supplied to the display device 130, so that the display device 130 is in an inoperable state. Therefore, the power control unit 190 monitors the detection signal D of the changeover switch 160, and when the changeover from the mirror mode to the display mode (for example, the detection signal D transitions from the L level to the H level) is detected, the control signal is signaled. By outputting C2 to the power supply unit 180, the switch SW is closed and the display device 130 is supplied with the power PWR.

FIG. 5 shows a timing chart of display switching in the electronic mirror device. When the display mode is switched to the mirror mode at time T1, the power of the display device 130 is not turned off, a black image is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 132, the brightness of the backlight 134 is minimized, and the mirror mode is set. It will be realized. If the switch to the display mode does not occur within a certain time from the time T1 to the time T2, the power to the display device 130 is turned off and the mirror mode is continued. As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the mirror mode is continued for a certain period of time after switching to the mirror mode, the power to the display device 130 is turned off to save power consumption. be able to. On the other hand, if the display mode is switched to the display mode within a certain period of time after switching to the mirror mode, the power of the display device 130 is not turned off (because the operating state is maintained), so that the display device is maintained. The start-up process associated with turning on the power of the 130 is not required, display loss or display delay when switching the display from the mirror mode to the display mode can be eliminated, and deterioration of visibility is prevented.

In the above embodiment, an example in which black is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 132 is shown, but this is an example, and for example, brown close to black or other dark single color may be displayed. In short, the image of the liquid crystal panel 132 may be controlled so that the back surface side of the half mirror 140 is darker than the front surface side. Further, the image data representing the black color displayed on the liquid crystal panel 132 may be adjusted so as to be equivalent to the black color of the normally black of the liquid crystal panel.

In the above embodiment, the brightness of the backlight 134 is minimized when the mirror mode is switched to, but this is only an example, and the light from the backlight 134 is sufficiently blocked by the image display of the liquid crystal panel 132. If so, the brightness does not necessarily have to be minimal. However, it is desirable to minimize the brightness in order to suppress power consumption.

In the above embodiment, the position of the operation lever 150 is detected by the changeover switch 160, but this is an example. For example, the position of the operation lever 150 may be detected by a sensor instead of the changeover switch 160.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electronic mirror device 100A according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the power of the display device 130 is turned off when the duration of the mirror mode is longer than a certain period, but in the second embodiment, the power of the image pickup camera 170 is further turned off. As shown in the figure, the image pickup camera 170 is placed in an operable state by being supplied with a power PWR from the power supply unit 182. Here, as in the case of the first embodiment, the power control unit 190 responds to the control signal C1 from the control unit 136 when the duration of the mirror mode exceeds a certain level, and the power control unit 190 powers the image pickup camera 170. A control signal C3 for stopping the supply is output to the power supply unit 182. The power supply unit 182 includes, for example, a switch SW1 that turns on or off in response to the control signal C3, and stops the power supply to the image pickup camera 170 in response to the control signal C3. In the mirror mode, the image pickup data I of the image pickup camera 170 is unnecessary, and the power consumption can be further reduced by turning off the power of the image pickup camera 170.

Although two power supply units 180 and 182 are shown in FIG. 6 for convenience, the power supply unit 180 may include the power supply unit 182. Further, in the above embodiment, the power supply unit 182 stops the power supply in response to the control signal C3 from the power control unit 190, but instead of this, the power supply unit 136 from the display device 130 The switch SW1 may be opened in response to the control signal C1 to stop the power supply.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7A is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electronic mirror device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and the same reference numbers are assigned to the same configurations as those of the first and second embodiments. It has been done. Further, FIG. 7B shows a functional configuration of the display switching control program 200A of the third embodiment.

In the first and second embodiments, when the mirror mode is continued for a certain period of time or longer, the power supply to the display device 130 and the image pickup camera 170 is stopped, but in the third embodiment, the power supply is stopped. The display device 130 and the image pickup camera 170 are operated in the standby mode without stopping the power supply to the display device 130 and the image pickup camera 170. As shown in FIG. 7B, the control unit 136 includes a standby mode operation unit 270 in place of the control signal output unit 260 in the first and second embodiments. When the continuation determination unit 250 determines that the mirror mode has been continued for a certain period of time or longer, the standby mode operation unit 270 operates the control unit 136 in the standby mode, that is, the low power consumption mode, and detects the detection signal D from the changeover switch 160. When there is an interrupt due to, the standby mode is restored to the normal mode.

The standby mode is to operate an electronic circuit such as a microcontroller in a power saving mode, and may be referred to as a sleep mode or an idle mode. The standby mode operating unit 270 shifts the control unit 136 to the standby mode when the continuation of the mirror mode elapses for a certain period of time. When the control unit 136 shifts to the standby mode, the control unit 136 executes a program in the power saving mode, for example, lowering the frequency of the clock signal required for the operation of the circuit, stopping the clock of a specific clock circuit, or specifying the clock. The operating voltage supplied to the circuit of the above is reduced, or the supply of the operating voltage to a specific circuit is stopped. Further, the control unit 136 may stop the display of the liquid crystal panel 132 or stop the driving of the backlight 134 when the mode shifts to the standby mode. Further, the control unit 136 uses the detection signal D supplied from the outside as an interrupt signal in order to return from the standby mode to the normal mode.

In the third embodiment, the standby mode operation unit 270 may further set the operation of the image pickup camera 170 to the standby mode. In this case, the microcontroller mounted on the image pickup camera 170 can shift to the standby mode by the control signal from the control unit 136. The image pickup camera 170 lowers the frequency of the clock signal required for the image pickup operation, stops the clock of a specific clock circuit, lowers or stops the operating voltage supplied to the specific circuit. Further, when returning the image pickup camera 170 from the standby mode to the normal mode, the control signal from the control unit 136 that has returned to the normal mode may be used as an interrupt signal.

Next, a modified example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above embodiment, when the mirror mode is switched, the black image is displayed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal panel 132, but the control unit 136 may display the combination of a plurality of images on the liquid crystal panel 132. .. That is, since the region visually recognized by the driver is the central region of the electronic mirror device, it is sufficient that the reflected image behind the vehicle can be visually recognized in the central region. Therefore, a black image may be displayed in the central region of the liquid crystal panel 132, and another image may be displayed in the other peripheral portion. Other images are optional, but for example, other images indicate information that the vehicle has been switched to mirror mode, information about the driving state of the vehicle, or information that the vehicle is behind the vehicle. For example, the information may include characters, figures or symbols.

Further, in the above embodiment, the mirror mode or the display mode is switched in conjunction with the operation lever 150, but the mirror mode or the display mode may be switched without using the operation lever. For example, the electronic mirror device 100 may include a user input unit that receives a switching instruction from the user, and may determine the mirror mode or the display mode based on the switching signal. When the operation lever is not used, the posture of the mirror body 120 is not changed, but when the posture of the mirror body 120 is desired to be changed, the operation lever 150 is attached to the mirror body 120 as in the first to third embodiments. You may do so. In this case, unlike the above embodiment, it should be noted that the mirror mode or the display mode is not switched in conjunction with the operation lever 150.

Further, when it is desired to change the posture of the mirror main body 120 in response to a switching instruction from the user without using the operation lever, the display device 130 has an actuator unit for changing the posture of the mirror main body 120. Can include. The actuator unit includes, for example, a motor connected to the rotation shaft 112 shown in FIG. 1, and the posture of the mirror body 120 can be changed to the mirror mode or the display mode by rotating the motor. In this case, when the control unit 136 receives the switching signal from the user, the control unit 136 controls the rotation of the motor based on the switching signal.

In the above embodiment, an example of applying the electronic mirror device to a rearview mirror installed in the vehicle has been described, but the electronic mirror device of the present invention can also be applied to a door mirror or a fender mirror installed outside the vehicle. Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which a liquid crystal panel is used as a display device is shown, but this is an example, and the display device uses another display medium (for example, an organic EL panel). May be good. When the display device does not require a backlight, such as an organic EL panel, the control unit causes the organic EL panel to display a specific image (for example, black) when the mirror mode is switched, and the organic EL panel. It is possible to control so as to minimize the brightness of the. Further, in the above embodiment, the half mirror is exemplified, but the transmittance and the reflectance do not necessarily have to be equal to each other as long as the optical member transmits a part of the light and reflects the part of the light.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are made within the scope of the gist of the invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

100: Electronic mirror device 110: Support member 112: Rotating axis 120: Mirror body 122: Aperture 130: Display device 132: Liquid crystal panel 134: Backlight 140: Half mirror 150: Operation lever 160: Changeover switch 170: Imaging camera 180: Power supply unit 190: Power control unit

Claims (12)

An imaging means that captures at least the rear of the vehicle and outputs the captured image,
A display means for displaying an image, a mirror body in which an optical member that transmits a part of light and reflects a part of light is arranged inside, and a mirror body.
A switching means that enables switching between a first display mode that enables the visual recognition of the captured image displayed by the display means or a second display mode that enables the visual recognition of the reflected image by the optical member.
A display control means that controls the display means in response to the switching of the switching means,
It has at least a power control means for controlling the power of the display means.
The display control means determines switching from the first display mode to the second display mode or switching from the second display mode to the first display mode, and based on the determination result, from the first display mode. When the display mode is switched to the second display mode, a specific image is displayed on the display means so that the reflected image can be visually recognized by the optical member, and the time from the switching time is measured for a certain period of time. It is determined whether or not the switching from the second display mode to the first display mode has occurred.
When it is determined by the display control means that the switching from the second display mode to the first display mode has not occurred within the fixed time, the power control means limits the power consumption of the display means. Mirror device. The electronic mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the power control means stops the power supply from the power supply means to the display means. The electronic mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the power control means operates the display means in a low power consumption state. The electronic mirror device according to claim 3, wherein the power control means shifts the display means from a low power consumption state to a normal operating state when an interrupt is generated from the switching means. The power control means is claimed to stop the power supply from the power supply means to the image pickup means when the duration when the first display mode is switched to the second display mode exceeds a certain time. The electronic mirror device according to 1. The electronic mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the power control means operates the image pickup means in a low power consumption state. The electronic mirror device according to claim 6, wherein the power control means shifts the image pickup means from a low power consumption state to a normal operation state when an interrupt from the switching means is received. The display means includes at least a liquid crystal panel and a backlight.
The electron according to claim 1, wherein the display control means displays a black image on the liquid crystal panel and reduces the brightness of the backlight when the first display mode is switched to the second display mode. Mirror device. The switching means includes an operation lever attached to the mirror body, switches to the first display mode when the operation lever is in the first position, and displays a second display when the operation lever is in the second position. The electronic mirror device according to claim 1, which switches to an embodiment. 9. The switching means further includes a switch that turns on / off according to the position of the operating lever, and switches to the first display mode or the second display mode according to the on / off of the switch, according to claim 9. Electronic mirror device. The switching means puts the mirror body or the optical member in the first posture when the operating lever is in the first position, and puts the mirror body or the optical member in the second position when the operating lever is in the second position. The electronic mirror device according to claim 9 or 10, which is in the posture of 2. The electronic mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the display means is a normally black type that exhibits a black screen when the power is turned off.

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