JPH1038619A - Display device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device for vehicle which is constituted so that the information displayed on the device can be seen easily by supplementing the insufficient luminescence of an electroluminescent (FL) display panel. SOLUTION: A liquid crystal panel 2 positioned on the rear side of an FL display panel 1 with a very narrow gap in between has an operating space 2A in which liquid crystal elements are enclosed in a transparent glass substrate 2a and the operating space 2A can be switched between a first operating state in which the area 2A can transmit light in accordance with the orientation of the liquid crystal elements and a second operating state in which the area 2A cannot transmit light. When a voltage is applied across the liquid crystal elements through a controller, the space 2A becomes the second operating state and, when no voltage is applied, the first operating state. The area 2A, however, is provided in the limited extent corresponding to the displaying section 1A of the panel 1. The controller conducts the operating space 2A of the liquid crystal panel 2 when a change-over switch which is manually operated by a crew is turned on.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle display device using an EL display panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a self-luminous type flat display device, a transparent lower electrode is formed on a transparent substrate such as glass.
A three-layer film in which a thin light-emitting layer is sandwiched between insulating layers is formed thereon, and an upper electrode is further formed thereon to form a laminated EL device.
(Electroluminescence) display devices are known.

[0003]

However, the above EL
When the display device is mounted on the dashboard for use in a vehicle and used as a monitor and an instrument, there is a problem that the brightness is insufficient and the display is difficult to see. In particular, when the surroundings are too bright on a snowy road or the like, the display becomes extremely difficult to see due to insufficient brightness. The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular display device which makes it easy to view a display by compensating for a lack of luminance of EL.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a liquid crystal panel is disposed on the back side of an EL display panel, and the liquid crystal panel is capable of transmitting light in accordance with the alignment state of a liquid crystal element. It has an operating state and a second operating state in which light cannot be transmitted, and the control means can switch between the first operating state and the second operating state. Thus, when the liquid crystal panel is switched to the second operation state, disturbance light hardly enters the display unit of the EL display panel, and thus the contrast between the display unit of the EL display panel and the surroundings can be provided. Therefore, for example, when the surroundings are too bright and the display on the EL display panel is difficult to see, the liquid crystal panel is switched to the second operating state to provide a contrast between the display portion of the EL display panel and the surroundings, thereby displaying the EL display panel. You can easily see.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operation area of the liquid crystal panel is provided corresponding to the display section of the EL display panel. That is, the operation area of the liquid crystal panel does not cover the entire EL display panel, but is provided only in a range corresponding to the display unit of the EL display panel. Thus, the range in which the occupant's view is obstructed when the liquid crystal panel is switched to the second operation state can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the control means includes a light receiving element for detecting ambient brightness, and can control the operation state of the liquid crystal panel based on a signal from the light receiving element. Thus, even if the occupant does not manually switch the operation state of the liquid crystal panel, the ambient light can be detected by the light receiving element and the operation state of the liquid crystal panel can be automatically controlled.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a display device for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a front view of a display. The vehicle display device according to the present embodiment includes an EL display panel 1 and a liquid crystal panel 2.
And a control device 4 (see FIG. 4) for controlling the operation of the liquid crystal panel 2. EL display panel 1
It displays vehicle information (for example, vehicle speed / see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, a transparent electrode 1b is deposited on a transparent glass substrate 1a (about 2.2 mm thick), and A display section 1A is formed by depositing a three-layer film in which the light-emitting layer 1c is sandwiched by an insulating layer 1d, and further depositing a transparent metal electrode 1e thereon, and applying a voltage between the electrodes 1b and 1e. The display unit 1A emits light to display. In addition, E used
L is a powder phosphor dispersed in a high dielectric constant dielectric,
A dispersion type EL that emits light by applying an AC voltage thereto may be used.

The liquid crystal panel 2 has a transparent glass substrate 2a.
A liquid crystal element (not shown) is enclosed in an operation area 2A (about 2.2 mm in thickness), and the operation area 2A is provided with a first operation state capable of transmitting light according to the orientation of the liquid crystal element and light. It is possible to switch to a second operating state in which light cannot be transmitted. The operation area 2A is in the second operation state when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal element through the control device 4, and is in the first operation state when no voltage is applied. The liquid crystal panel 2 is disposed on the back side of the EL display panel 1, and the operation area 2 </ b> A is provided in a range that can cover the display section 1 </ b> A of the EL display panel 1. The “range that can cover the display unit 1A” refers to the entire EL display panel 1 or a limited range corresponding to the display unit 1A (range indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1).

The EL display panel 1 and the liquid crystal panel 2 are housed in a storage case 5, and the storage case 5 is disposed substantially at the upper center of the instrument panel 6 in the front of the vehicle interior, and is fixed by screws or the like. (See FIG. 3). In addition,
By setting a small gap between the EL display panel 1 and the liquid crystal panel 2, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of interference fringes on the glass substrates 1a, 2a. However, if the gap between the panels 1 and 2 is increased, the display may be difficult to see due to the influence of the reflected light. Therefore, it is desirable that the gap between the panels 1 and 2 is as small as possible.

When the changeover switch 7 (see FIG. 4) manually operated by the occupant is turned on, the control device 4
The operation area 2A of the liquid crystal panel 2 is energized by receiving power supply from the vehicle-mounted battery B. The changeover switch 7 can be provided at a position on the instrument panel 6 where the occupant can easily operate, as shown in FIG. Further, the control device 4 is connected to a light receiving element 8 for detecting ambient brightness, and based on a signal from the light receiving element 8, the liquid crystal panel 2
Can be controlled. Light receiving element 8
Is a position where ambient light can be easily detected (for example, on the instrument panel 6 near the windshield as shown in FIG. 3).
It is provided in.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. When the operation area 2A of the liquid crystal panel 2 is in the first operation state (that is, when the changeover switch 7 is in the off state), the parts of the EL display panel 1 other than the display section 1A (vehicle speed) are transparent. The sight of the occupant (driver) is not greatly obstructed by the display 3. On the other hand, when the changeover switch 7 is turned on by the manual operation of the occupant, a voltage is applied to the operation area 2A of the liquid crystal panel 2 through the control device 4, and the operation area 2A is switched to the second operation state (see FIG. 5). . In the second operation state, since light cannot pass through the operation area 2A, disturbance light hardly enters the display section 1A of the EL display panel 1, and contrast between the display section 1A of the EL display panel 1 and the surroundings is provided. Can be.

Therefore, when the surroundings are too bright and the display is difficult to see on snowy roads, etc.
When it is difficult to see the display on the display surface of the display panel 1, the liquid crystal panel 2 is switched to the second operation state and the
By giving a contrast between the display section 1A of the display panel 1 and the surroundings, the display on the EL display panel 1 can be made easier to see. Even if the occupant does not turn on the changeover switch 7, the predetermined amount of brightness can be changed to the light receiving element 8.
, The liquid crystal panel 2 can be automatically operated through the control device 4 (see FIG. 5).

When the operation area 2A of the liquid crystal panel 2 is switched to the second operation state, the occupant's view is obstructed by the operation area 2A, but the operation area 2A corresponds to the display section 1A of the EL display panel 1. By providing it only in the limited portion, the range in which the occupant's view is obstructed can be made as small as possible, and the display on the EL display panel 1 can be easily viewed. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, by setting the operation area 2A of the liquid crystal panel 2 as small as possible to increase the transparent range of the display 3, it is possible to secure a wide occupant's view. In this embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 2
Although the light receiving element 8 that detects the surrounding brightness is used to automatically operate the, the vehicle equipped with a con light (a device that automatically turns on and off a lamp according to the surrounding brightness) The liquid crystal panel 2 can be automatically controlled using the lighting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a display.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an EL display panel.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the display is mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram of the control device.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a display (modification).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 EL display panel 1A Display part of EL display panel 1a Glass substrate (EL display panel) 2 Liquid crystal panel 2A Working area 2a Glass substrate (liquid crystal panel) 4 Control device (control means) 8 Light receiving element

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An EL display panel for displaying vehicle information on a substrate capable of transmitting light, a liquid crystal panel disposed behind the EL display panel and enclosing a liquid crystal element inside the substrate capable of transmitting light; Control means for controlling the operation of the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel has a first operation state in which light can be transmitted according to an alignment state of the liquid crystal element and a second operation state in which light cannot be transmitted. The display device for a vehicle, wherein the control means switches between the first operation state and the second operation state. 2. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel has an operation area in which the liquid crystal element is sealed, and the operation area is provided corresponding to a display section of the EL display panel. The display device for a vehicle as described in the above. 3. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes a light receiving element for detecting ambient brightness, and controls an operation state of said liquid crystal panel based on a signal from said light receiving element. The display device for a vehicle as described in the above.