JPH0134388B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a multipurpose display device for an audio system.

In an audio system that combines audio equipment units such as an AM or FM tuner unit, cassette deck unit, and amplifier unit,
Various indicators are generally displayed for each unit. For example, a cassette deck unit displays a peak level meter and a tape running indicator, while a tuner unit displays a signal meter and a tuning meter. However, when space is limited, such as in an automotive audio system, it is not a good idea to provide a display section for each unit, and it is also wasteful to provide separate drive circuits (also disadvantageous in terms of space).

The present invention is based on the premise that a common display unit is provided to solve the above-mentioned problems, and furthermore, each peak level of a four-channel speaker is displayed by four display element groups arranged radially, and these By displaying the volume amount when the volume amount changes on at least one set consisting of two display element groups arranged in a straight line among the display element groups, the peak level of each speaker can be easily seen, and it is possible to The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multipurpose display device for an audio system that does not require a large number of display elements.

This will be explained in detail below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, A is a display controller;
B is a segment driver, C is a digit driver, and D is a display unit, which constitute a multipurpose display device. E, F, and G are tuner units, deck units, and deck units that share this multipurpose display device.
It is an amplifier unit. Display controller A is a microcomputer, and units E to G are displayed here.
The data to be displayed is input from. For example, the tuner unit E receives signal data, the deck unit F receives deck display information, and the amplifier unit G receives volume data and peak level data.

As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit D has a large number of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 1 to 31 arranged on, for example, a printed circuit board, and the overall dimensions of the display surface are, for example, about 37.5 mm in length and 17.5 mm in width. LED1,
Reference numeral 11 has a triangular shape and is used to indicate the running direction of the tape. 28 indicates tape mode
It is LED and has a slit plate punched out in the shape of a cassette tape on the surface. 29 is an LED indicating the signal level (SiG); 3
0 is an LED that indicates the volume level (VoL), and each has a slit plate with the corresponding letter punched out on the front. 31 is 4 LEDs corresponding to 4 channel speakers, and slit plates are arranged in the same way. The LEDs 1 to 27 are arranged in three columns, with the LEDs 1 to 11 forming a column T ₁ and the LEDs 12 to 19 and LEDs 20 to 27 forming two diagonal columns T ₂ and T ₃ intersecting the column in an X shape.

Figures 3 a to d are display examples, all of which are indicated by diagonal lines.
Assume that the LED is lit. A is tape mode, and LED1 in column _T1 is lit to indicate the running direction. Also, a diagonal row T ₂ with LED 6 as a reference,
When the _T3 LED lights up, the number indicates the peak level of each of the four channels. b is the volume mode, and the number of lit LEDs in column _T2 represents the volume amount. Regardless of whether the target volume is mechanical or electronic, changing the volume will temporarily switch to this volume mode from any mode, and return to the original mode after a certain amount of time has passed when the volume stops changing. do.
This control is performed by display controller A. c and d are radio modes. c is 4 when receiving radio
It is used as a meter to indicate the peak level of each channel. d shows the signal amount in the case of frequency sweep in column _T3 . In radio mode, d is temporarily displayed during frequency sweep, and c is normally displayed. All these controls are performed by the display controller A.

FIG. 4 shows a specific example, and the area within the broken line frame is a multipurpose display device. Inputs to display controller A include control signals from these units in addition to data from units E to G. And the output is
In addition to signals for selectively lighting LEDs 1-31, there are timing outputs for dynamically driving LED strings _T1 - _T3 . FIG. 5 is a time chart showing this divided into each mode. One cycle of timings T ₁ to T ₃ is 15 to 20 ms, and does not appear flickering to the human eye. Segment driver B is used to drive LEDs 1-8 (excluding LED 6), 12-18, and 20-26 of display unit D. On the other hand, digit driver C has LEDs 6 and 9.
-11, 19, 27-30 are used for driving.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of display processing in display controller A. The configuration of the display unit D (element arrangement, number of elements, etc.) is not limited to the example shown, and the display element may also be a fluorescent display tube, a liquid crystal (LCD), etc.
It may be.

As described above, according to the present invention, each peak level of a four-channel speaker is displayed by four display element groups arranged radially, and two of these display element groups arranged in a straight line are displayed. Since the volume amount is displayed on at least one of the two display element groups when the volume amount changes, the peak levels of the four speakers can be displayed in an easy-to-see manner in correspondence with the arrangement of the speakers.
In addition, since the volume amount, which requires a large amount of information, is displayed using two peak displays, which have a relatively small amount of information, when the volume amount display and the peak level display are shared on a one-to-one basis, There is no need to provide a large number of display elements, and a small number of display elements can be used effectively. Furthermore, it is extremely effective when applied to audio systems with limited space, such as those used in automobiles.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, Figs. 2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams of a display unit, Fig. 4 is a detailed view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a time chart thereof. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the display processing of the display controller. In the figure, A is a display controller, B and C are drivers, D is a display unit, and E to G are audio equipment units.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A display controller including a display controller using a microcomputer, a driver for amplifying the output thereof, and a display unit in which a plurality of display elements driven by the output of the driver are arranged, the display unit comprising: , a first, a second, and a third arranged in a substantially X-shape extending radially in four directions from the center.
and a fourth display element group, wherein the first, second, third and fourth display element groups each indicate the peak level of the 4-channel speaker, and which are arranged in a straight line among the display element groups. 1. A multipurpose display device for an audio system, wherein at least one of the two display element groups displays a volume amount when the volume amount changes.