JPH0916104A - Direction display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the display unit which can make a well distinctive display showing different meaning and has good visibility by providing a center segment almost in the center of plural radial segments indicating directions and an auxiliary segment adjacently to the center segment. SOLUTION: This unit consists of the radial segments 2-9 which extend radially in plural directions and indicates the directions, the center segment 1 which is provided almost in the center of the radial segments 2-9, and the auxiliary segment 10 which is provided adjacently to the center segment 1. Those radial segments 2-9 are shaped gradually decreasing in width in the specific directions. Then the auxiliary segment 10 illuminates and goes out to display a course and also merely indicate a direction, so that the meaning of the display can be judged visually and immediately. Further, perspective is given by the variation in the width of the radial segments 2-9, so the display becomes stereoscopic to improve the visibility.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a directional display device for displaying directions, and more particularly to a directional display device useful in navigation devices and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In electronic devices, displays such as arrows indicating directions are often used, but their role is important especially in navigation devices for guiding directions in automobiles and the like. Is a problem. As shown in FIG. 4, the conventional directional display device has electrically independent arrow-shaped segments radially arranged in eight directions, and a circular segment is arranged at the center, and a necessary segment is selectively illuminated. It was displaying guidance for directions.

[0003]

A display device of this kind is
For example, when applied to a navigation device, there are the following problems. The navigation device may simply indicate the azimuth or may indicate a left turn or a right turn. As shown in FIG. 5, in the state of the segment when turning right and indicating the right direction, both the central segment 20 and the right arrow segment 23 are lit, and the display itself is exactly the same. There is a slight problem with the visibility that it can be done. There is also a method of separately providing an identification display 30 for distinguishing the right turn and the right direction, but the position of the arrow segment,
Considering the size and the like, the identification display is small, and is in a state of being separated from the arrow segment, so that it is not possible to expect much improvement in visibility.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a direction indicating device for indicating a direction, wherein a plurality of radial segments extending radially in a plurality of directions and pointing in the direction, and It is characterized in that it comprises a central segment provided at a position substantially in the center of the radiating segment and an auxiliary segment provided adjacent to the central segment. Further, the radial segment is shaped so that the width thereof becomes gradually narrower in a predetermined direction.

[0005]

By turning on and off the auxiliary segment, it is possible to perform a display for indicating the course and a display for simply indicating the direction so that the meaning of the display can be visually judged immediately. In addition, a change in the width of the radial segment causes a sense of perspective, which also provides a stereoscopic effect and improves the visibility.

[0006]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the description will be given by taking a display in a car navigation system installed in an automobile for route guidance as an example, but the present invention can be applied to devices other than the car navigation system. Further, the directional display device in the present embodiment can be constituted by a liquid crystal display device, a fluorescent display tube, a plasma display, a head-up display using the hologram principle, and the like, for example, the visible state of each segment by applying a voltage to electrodes. (Hereinafter referred to as lighting) and invisible state (hereinafter referred to as extinguished) are switched.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the shape and arrangement of segments in a directional display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows, for example, a pattern of display transparent electrodes in a liquid crystal display device. Reference numeral 1 denotes an elliptical central segment arranged substantially in the center of the display area. 2 to 9 are arrow-shaped radial segments that extend radially in the front-back, left-right, and diagonal front-back left-right directions centering on the central segment.
Shows the diagonally front, back, left, and right directions.

Reference numeral 10 is a substantially rectangular auxiliary segment provided between the central segment 1 and the radiating segment 6 (downward arrow) indicating the rearward direction. Also, the radiation segment 2
9 and auxiliary segment 10 are forward (upward in the figure)
The width becomes gradually narrower toward. Incidentally, these segments 1 to 10 are selectively turned on by a display drive circuit such as a microcomputer to display a direction.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an actual display example in this embodiment. The display of A is a display example in which the central segment 1, the radiating segment 4 (right arrow), and the auxiliary segment 10 are lit, and the auxiliary segment 10 is a traveling road, the central segment 1 is an intersection, and the radiating segment 4 is a road to go. It is possible to immediately understand visually that it is indicated, and it is intuitively understandable that it is an instruction to turn right at an intersection instead of indicating the right direction.

The display of B is a display example in which the central segment 1, the radiating segment 8 (left arrow) and the auxiliary segment 10 are lit, and the auxiliary segment 10 is on a road on which the central segment 1 is an intersection and the radiating segment 8 is It is possible to immediately visually judge that the road is to be shown, and intuitively understand that the instruction is to turn left at the intersection instead of indicating the left direction.

The display of C is a display example in which the central segment 1 and the radiating segment 4 (right arrow) are lit, and the display example A,
Since the auxiliary segment 10 lit in B is not lit, that is, there is no indication of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, it can be intuitively and immediately understood that the indication is simply a rightward indication. Display of D is center segment 1 and radiating segment 8
In the display example in which (left arrow) is lit, since the auxiliary segment 10 lit in display examples A and B is not lit, that is, there is no display of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, it is a display that simply indicates the left direction. Intuitively understand what is.

The display of E is an example of display in which the center segment 1 and the radiating segment 3 (arrow on the front right of the diagonal line) are lit up. It is intuitively understandable that the display shows the front right direction. The display of F is a display example in which the central segment 1 and the radiating segment 6 (rearward direction, downward arrow in the figure) are lit. Since the auxiliary segment 10 is not lit, there is no display of the road on which the vehicle is running, It is intuitively understandable that the display shows the backward direction.

Further, the display of G is an example of display in which the central segment 1, the radiating segment 6 (rearward direction, downward arrow in the figure) and the auxiliary segment 10 are turned on.
It can be intuitively and immediately understood that is displayed to indicate that the road is running, and that it indicates that the road is going backward, that is, that it is making a U-turn. As described in detail above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to intuitively distinguish between a simple direction display and a route instruction such as a left / right turn, and a display with good visibility, that is, it is possible to perform navigation route guidance. Further, since the display has a perspective, the visibility is further improved.

[0014]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, since a display having a different meaning in the same direction, such as a simple directional display, can be displayed with good distinguishability, a display device with good visibility is realized. it can. Further, since the display which gives a sense of perspective is made, the visibility is further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the shape and arrangement of segments in a direction display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of a direction display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the shape and arrangement of segments of a conventional directional display device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a conventional direction display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Central segment 2-9 ... Arrow segment 10 ... Auxiliary segment

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A directional display device for indicating a direction, wherein a plurality of radiating segments radially extending in a plurality of directions and pointing in the direction, a central segment provided at a position substantially in the center of the radiating segment, and A directional display device comprising an auxiliary segment provided adjacent to the central segment. 2. The directional display device according to claim 1, wherein the radial segment has a shape in which the width gradually decreases in a predetermined direction.