JP4985481B2 - Vehicle display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle display device mounted on, for example, an automobile.

  As a conventional vehicle display device, for example, a vehicle including a light source, an image forming unit that forms an image, and a curved screen on which a projected image of the image is formed by light from the light source that has passed through the image forming unit A display device for a vehicle in which the screen shape is designed to be continuous with surrounding members including a member in which the display device is incorporated, for example, an instrument panel installed in front of a vehicle interior of an automobile. Display devices are known (see Patent Document 1).

As a result, in comparison with a display device for a vehicle such as a general combination meter embedded in an instrument panel, the display device for a vehicle can be provided without a projection protruding from the surface of the instrument panel. The degree of freedom of modeling can be increased.
JP 2005-186784 A

  In general, in an automobile, the instrument panel is disposed adjacent to the lower end of the front windshield. On the other hand, since the above-described conventional vehicle display device is formed so that the screen is continuous with the surface of the instrument panel, an image displayed on the screen is reflected on the front windshield around the instrument panel ( This is called windowing).

  When the image displayed on the screen is reflected on the front windshield, there is a problem that it becomes difficult for the driver to see the outside situation.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a display device for a vehicle that can suppress an image displayed on a display surface on a front windshield while increasing the degree of freedom of modeling in a vehicle interior.

The display device for a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plate member having a display surface which is a surface facing a driver's seat of the vehicle, and a plurality of plate members formed on the plate member so as to open to the display surface. A vehicle display comprising: a through hole; and a plurality of light sources arranged to irradiate light toward the opening end of the through hole at an end opposite to the opening end that opens to the display surface of the plurality of through holes. A plurality of light sources forming information on a display surface by a set of a plurality of bright spots, and the plurality of through holes are formed so that an axial direction thereof coincides with a viewing direction of a driver seated on a driver seat, each emitting surface of each light source is not exposed in a vertical upward direction in the use state of the vehicle display device, the cylindrical wall of the plurality of through holes between the exit surface of the open end and a plurality of light sources of the plurality of through-holes It is characterized in that the part is interposed.

  The vehicular display device is disposed opposite the driver's seat, in other words, in front of the driver's seat. A front windshield is disposed in front of the driver's seat, and the vehicle display device is located below the front windshield.

  According to the vehicle display device of the first aspect of the present invention, the emission surface of the light source is not exposed in the vertically upward direction in the usage state of the vehicle display device, that is, the emission surface of the light source is in the through hole. There will be invisible from the front windshield side. For this reason, there is no light which is emitted from the light source and directly enters the front windshield through the opening end of the display surface which is the opening end of the through hole.

  According to the above-described configuration, the light emitted from the emission surface of the light source is emitted from the opening end after traveling through the space surrounded by the cylindrical wall portion of the through hole. Light is emitted radially from the exit surface of the light source. Of this light, the light traveling in the direction parallel to the axis of the through hole exits the opening end and proceeds toward the driver's eyes without entering the cylindrical wall portion of the through hole. On the other hand, light traveling in a direction not parallel to the axis of the through hole is incident on the cylindrical wall portion of the through hole and reflected there. Therefore, the light from the light source traveling in a direction not parallel to the axis of the through-hole is reflected once at the cylindrical wall portion of the through-hole or repeated several times, and from the opening end to the driver's eyes Output in different directions.

  Here, the light that travels in a direction parallel to the axis of the through hole and travels from the open end to the driver's eyes is not reflected by the cylindrical wall until it reaches the driver's eyes, so the amount of light is attenuated. Is hardly visible and brightly visible. On the other hand, the amount of light incident and reflected on the cylindrical wall portion of the through hole is attenuated because a part of the light amount is absorbed by the cylindrical wall portion.

  That is, in the configuration of the display device for a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, the light traveling from the light source in the direction parallel to the axis of the through hole, in other words, the driver's viewing direction. The light that travels to reaches the driver's eyes without being attenuated on the way. On the other hand, light emitted from the light source in a direction that is not parallel to the axis of the through hole, in other words, light that travels in a direction different from the driver's viewing direction is attenuated by repeating incident reflection on the cylindrical wall portion of the through hole. The amount of light decreases. For this reason, the amount of diffused light, which is light emitted from the opening end of the display surface toward the front windshield, is extremely small.

  As described above, according to the vehicle display device of the first aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the light source and directly incident on the front windshield through the opening end of the display surface which is the opening of the through hole is eliminated. The amount of diffused light, which is light emitted from the opening end of the display surface toward the front windshield, can be reduced. Thereby, the display apparatus for vehicles which can suppress that the image displayed on a display surface is reflected in a front windshield can be provided.

  The vehicle display device according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of through-holes are formed so that their respective axes are radially centered at one point in the space near the driver's seat. .

  According to such a configuration, the light from the light source disposed at the end opposite to the opening ends of all the plurality of through holes formed in the display panel is focused on one point in the space near the driver's seat. become. If there is a driver's eye at this one point, for example, the driver can clearly see the light from all the through holes. That is, by controlling the turning on / off of the light source provided in each through-hole, the driver can clearly see the light-emitting figure and light-emitting characters formed on the display surface.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a vehicular display device that allows a driver to clearly see the image displayed on the display surface while suppressing the image displayed on the display surface from being displayed on the front windshield. .

  In this case, as in the vehicle display device according to claim 3 of the present invention, if the center is an eye point representing the position of the driver's eyes seated on the driver's seat, the display is surely performed. It is possible to realize a vehicle display device that allows a driver to clearly see an image displayed on the surface.

  The vehicle display device according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that the plate member is rotatably held so as to change the center position.

  According to such a configuration, when the center position that is the focusing point of light from the plurality of through holes is deviated from the center of the driver's counter range, the center position is changed by rotating the plate member. That is, the light focusing point can be matched with the current driver eye point position.

  As a result, even when a plurality of drivers having different eye point positions get on the vehicle, the image displayed on the display screen is displayed on the driver with the light focusing point coincident with the eye point of the driver. A vehicular display device that can be clearly seen can be provided.

  The display device for a vehicle according to claim 5 of the present invention is characterized in that an optical member for correcting the light path of the light emitted from the emission surface so as to approach the direction along the axis is disposed on the emission surface.

  According to such a configuration, of the light emitted from the light exit surface of the light source, the optical path of the light traveling in a direction not parallel to the axis of the through hole is refracted in a direction parallel to the axis of the through hole by the optical member. Can do. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the amount of light emitted from the emission surface of the light source and traveling directly in the driver's viewing direction, and to increase the luminance of the image displayed on the display surface.

  In this case, if the optical member is a convex lens as in the vehicle display device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the optical member is directly emitted from the light exit surface while reducing the size of the optical member. The amount of light traveling in the driver's visual recognition direction can be increased.

  The vehicle display device according to claim 7 of the present invention is characterized in that the light transmittance control member is arranged on the display surface of the plate member so as to cover the open ends of the plurality of through holes.

  According to such a configuration, the through-hole can be sealed by the light transmittance control member at the same time that the light emitted from the light source can be emitted from the opening end toward the driver. When there is no light transmittance control member, the interior space of the through hole communicates with the interior space of the automobile, so that foreign matter such as dust or moisture (such as water vapor or fine water droplets) enters the through hole. There is a risk of accumulation. In this case, a part of the light from the light source is absorbed and blocked by the foreign matter accumulated in the through hole, which may cause a problem that the light emission luminance of the display surface is reduced or non-uniform. Therefore, if the light transmittance control member is arranged so as to cover the opening end of the through hole as in the vehicular display device according to claim 7 of the present invention, foreign matter in the vehicle compartment enters the through hole. It is possible to prevent the emission luminance of the display surface from decreasing or becoming nonuniform. Furthermore, if the light transmittance of the light transmittance control member is appropriately set, the outline of the opening end of the through hole is not conspicuous when the light source is turned off, and the appearance of the display surface can be made novel. it can.

  In this case, as in the vehicle display device according to claim 8 of the present invention, if the light transmittance control member is formed of a smoke-like sheet, foreign matter in the vehicle compartment enters the through hole. This prevents the brightness of the display surface from decreasing or becoming non-uniform while preventing the light source from turning off and making the outline of the opening end of the through hole inconspicuous, as if there is a display device As a result, it is possible to provide a vehicle display device that can provide a completely different appearance when activated and when not activated.

  Hereinafter, the case where the vehicle display device of the present invention is applied to the display device 10 formed integrally with the instrument panel 20 installed in the front of the vehicle interior will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
The instrument panel 20 is installed in front of the passenger compartment of the automobile and below the front windshield 30. The front end of the instrument panel 20 in the longitudinal direction of the automobile is in contact with the lower end of the front windshield 30 as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the front windshield 30 is arranged so as to cover the instrument panel 20 from the front end side of the instrument panel 20 toward the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 1, a driver's seat 40 is installed in the passenger compartment so as to face the instrument panel 20. In addition, a steering wheel 50 is installed between the instrument panel 20 and the driver's seat 40 as shown in FIG.

  The display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is formed in a region A indicated by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. However, the appearance of the display device 10 is the instrument panel 20 itself, and can be seen only as the instrument panel 20 when the display device 10 is not in operation. Below, the structure of the display apparatus 10 is demonstrated.

  The display device 10 includes a display plate 11 as a plate member having a display surface 11a, and a light emitting diode 13 as a light source disposed at an end of the plurality of through holes 12 formed on the display plate 11 opposite to the display surface 11a. A smoke-like sheet 15 as a light transmittance control member provided so as to cover each through-hole 12 on the display surface 11a, and a large number formed on the display surface 11a by controlling turning on / off of each light-emitting diode 13. A control circuit (not shown) for displaying information, for example, a traveling speed of a car, a route instruction by a navigation system, and the like by a set of bright spots.

  The display board 11 is formed, for example from the resin material. The display board 11 is provided with a plurality of through holes 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the through-hole 12 is formed by opening one end of the through-hole 12 in the display surface 11a. The opening end of the through hole 12 on the display surface 11a forms an opening window 12a. That is, the display device 10 is formed as an aggregate of a plurality of through holes 12. The display board 11 is formed to the full width of the automobile and is formed integrally with the instrument panel 20. In other words, in the display plate 11 constituting the instrument panel 20, a region where the plurality of through holes 12 are formed is the display device 10. And the surface of the area | region in which the some through-hole 12 of the display board 11 is formed is the display surface 11a. A light emitting diode 13 as a light source is disposed at the end of the through hole 12 opposite to the opening window 12a. The light emitting diode 13 is disposed so that light emitted from the light emitting diode 13 travels through the through hole 12 to the outside of the opening window 12a, that is, the emission surface 13a of the light emitting diode 13 faces the opening window 12a side of the through hole 12. ing. In the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the through hole 12 has a circular cross-sectional shape in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. The through-hole 12 passes through one point in the space in the vicinity of the driver's seat with the central axis C, specifically, an eye point E, which is a point representing the eye position of a driver (not shown) seated in the driver's seat 40. Is set to For the eye point E, for example, the center position of the eye range that statistically represents the distribution of the eye positions of the driver is selected. Since a plurality of through-holes 12 are provided, each through-hole 12 is formed such that each central axis C forms a radial shape centered on the eye point E, as shown in FIGS. Has been. That is, in the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the central axis C of all the through holes 12 is set to converge on the eye point E. The light emitting diode 13 is attached with its optical axis aligned with the central axis C of the through hole 12. Therefore, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 13 in the direction of the optical axis travels toward the eye point E. Each light emitting diode 13 is mounted on a circuit board 14 as shown in FIG. As the circuit board 14, for example, a solid printed board using a glass epoxy resin board or the like is used. As shown in FIG. 2, a common substrate is used for each row (such as extending in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2) as the circuit board 14, and the mounting surface of each light-emitting diode 13 is used as the central axis of the through hole 12. It is held in a posture orthogonal to C. As the circuit board 14, a sheet-like flexible printed board can be used. In that case, since the flexible printed circuit board can be easily bent, it is possible to easily fix the mounting surface of each light emitting diode 13 in a posture orthogonal to the central axis C of the through hole 12. In the through hole 12, a cylindrical wall portion 12 b is present at a portion from the emission surface 13 a of the light emitting diode 13 to the opening window 12 a as shown in FIG. 2. The cylindrical wall portion 12b forms a complete cylindrical surface that is continuous over the entire circumference. In the through-hole 12, by providing the cylindrical wall portion 12b in the portion from the light emission surface 13a of the light emitting diode 13 to the opening window 12a, the light emission surface 13a is in the vertical upward direction in the usage state of the display device 10, that is, It is not exposed upward in the vertical direction in FIG.

  A smoke-like sheet 60, which is a light transmittance control member, is tightly fixed to the surface of the display panel 11 on the side of the opening window 12a. The smoke-like sheet 60 is formed of a resin-made translucent sheet colored in a dark color system such as shrimp brown. The smoke-like sheet 60 is installed so as to cover not only the front surface of the display device 10, that is, not only the display area A in FIG. 1 but also the entire instrument panel 20. As a result, when the display device 10 is in operation, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 13 is seen through the smoke-like sheet 60 through the opening window 12a of the through-hole 12 in which the light emitting diode 13 is lit. Is recognized by the driver. On the other hand, when the display device 10 is not operating, that is, when no light emitting diodes 13 are lit, when the driver looks at the instrument panel 20, only the instrument panel 20 is visually recognized, and the display device 10 is It looks as if it does not exist.

  Next, the structure of the display board 11 which is the characteristic of the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, that is, the plurality of through holes 12 have a central axis C at one point in the space near the driver's seat. It is set so as to pass through an eye point E, and a cylindrical wall portion 12b is provided in a portion from the emission surface 13a of the light emitting diode 13 to the opening window 12a in the through hole 12, and the emission surface 13a is A description will be given of actions and effects obtained by preventing the display device 10 from being exposed in the vertically upward direction in the usage state.

  According to the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the emission surface 13a of the light emitting diode 13 is not exposed in the vertically upward direction when the display device 10 is used, that is, when mounted on the automobile. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, a cylindrical wall portion 12 b exists in a portion from the emission surface 13 a of the light emitting diode 13 to the opening window 12 a that is the opening end of the through hole 12. , Forming a complete cylindrical surface that is continuous over the entire circumference. As a result, the emission surface 13a of the light emitting diode 13 is in the through hole 12 and cannot be seen from the front windshield 30 side. In other words, there is no light emitted from the light emitting diode 13 and directly emitted from the opening window 12 a of the through hole 12 and incident on the front windshield 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the light emitted from the light emitting diode 13 from directly entering the front windshield 30, thereby forming a reflected virtual image on the front windshield 30 and hindering the driver's front view. .

  Further, according to the above-described configuration, the light that travels in a direction that is not parallel to the central axis C of the through hole 12 out of the light emitted from the emission surface 13 a of the light emitting diode 13 is the cylindrical wall portion 12 b of the through hole 12. And is reflected there. And after emitting and reflecting on the cylindrical wall part 12b several times, it radiate | emits radially from the opening window 12a. The light emission direction may be directed to the front windshield 30. However, the amount of light attenuates by repeating incidence and reflection on the cylindrical wall portion 12b. Therefore, even if this light is incident on the front windshield 30, the reflected virtual image formed on the front windshield 30 is darkened, and the driver does not clearly see it. That is, it is possible to prevent the reflected virtual image from obstructing the driver's front view. Further, since the amount of light emitted radially from the opening window 12a can be attenuated, the contour shape of the opening window 12a in which the light emitting diode 13 is lit can be clearly seen.

  As described above, according to the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the image formed on the display surface 11a of the display device 10 is reflected on the front windshield 30, that is, the reflection of the image formed on the display surface 11a. The display device 10 that can suppress the formation of a virtual image can be provided.

  Further, in the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the central axis C of all the through holes 12 formed in the display plate 11 is set so as to converge on the eye point E in the vicinity of the driver seat 40. . That is, the light traveling on the optical axis of the light emitting diode 13 emitted from all the aperture windows 12a is focused on the eye point. As a result, when the driver looks at the display board 11, the light emission luminance of the opening window 12 a that forms the light-emitting image is uniform. Therefore, it is possible to improve the appearance of the image that is emitted and displayed on the display device 10.

  Further, in the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the smoke-like sheet 15 is tightly fixed to the surface of the display plate 11 on the opening window 12a side. The smoke-like sheet 60 is provided so as to cover not only the front surface of the display device 10, that is, the display area A in FIG. As a result, when the display device 10 is in operation, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 13 is seen through the smoke-like sheet 60 through the opening window 12a of the through-hole 12 in which the light emitting diode 13 is lit. Is recognized by the driver. On the other hand, when the display device 10 is not operating, that is, when no light emitting diodes 13 are lit, when the driver looks at the instrument panel 20, only the instrument panel 20 is visually recognized, and the display device 10 is It looks as if it does not exist. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the appearance as if the display device 10 does not exist only by the instrument panel 20 at the time of non-operation.

(Second Embodiment)
The display device 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention in which a convex lens 16 that is an optical member is disposed on the emission surface 13a of the light emitting diode 13. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the convex lens 16 is disposed in the through hole 12 in close contact with the emission surface 13 a of the light emitting diode 13. The convex lens 16 is made of a translucent material such as glass or resin.

  By providing the convex lens 16 on the exit surface 13a of the light emitting diode 13, the light emitted radially from the exit surface 13a is refracted in the direction along the central axis C of the through hole 12 as shown by the arrow in FIG. Thus, the amount of light traveling in the direction parallel to the central axis C of the through hole 12, that is, the amount of light traveling toward the eye point E can be increased. Therefore, the light emission luminance of the display device 10 can be increased and the visibility of the display device 10 can be improved.

(Third embodiment)
The display device 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is obtained by changing the configuration of the display plate 11 with respect to the display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. That is, the display board 11 has a shape corresponding to the display area A shown in FIG. Therefore, the outer portion of the display device 10 in the instrument panel 20 is formed of a member different from the display panel 11.

  The display board 11 is rotatably held around a rotation axis S that is an axis shown in FIG. That is, the display board 11 can rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow XX in FIG. The smoke-like sheet 60 is divided along the outer periphery of the display board 11, and the rotational movement of the display board 11 is not hindered by the smoke-like sheet 60. When the display plate 11 rotates about the rotation axis S, the position of the eye point E, which is the converging point of the central axis C of the through hole 12, correspondingly moves as indicated by the arrow YY in FIG. That is, in the display device 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the eye point E position of the display device 10 can be changed by rotating the display plate 11. As a result, when a plurality of drivers with different eye positions in the sitting state sequentially drive, the eye point E of the display device 10 can be adjusted to match the eye positions of each driver in the sitting state. Therefore, it is possible to provide the display device 10 that can be adjusted so that the best visibility is always obtained for drivers having different physiques.

  The rotational movement of the display board 11 may be configured using a manual drive mechanism (not shown), or may be configured using a mechanical drive mechanism using an electromagnetic actuator such as a motor, a linear solenoid, or a rotary solenoid.

1 is a front view of a display device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the display apparatus 10 by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the display apparatus 10 by 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display apparatus 11 Display board 12 Through-hole 12a Open window (open end)
12b Cylindrical wall 13 Light-emitting diode (light source)
13a Output surface 14 Circuit board 15 Smoke-like sheet (light transmittance control member)
16 Convex lens (optical member)
20 Instrument panel 30 Front windshield 40 Driver's seat 50 Steering wheel 60 Smoke-like seat (light transmittance control member)
A Display area C Center axis E Eye point (one point)
S Rotating shaft (axis)

Claims (8)

A plate member having a display surface which is a surface facing the driver's seat of the vehicle;
A plurality of through holes formed in the plate member so as to open to the display surface;
A vehicle display comprising: a plurality of light sources arranged to irradiate light toward the opening end of the through hole at an end of the plurality of through holes opposite to the opening end that opens to the display surface; A device,
The plurality of light sources form information on the display surface by a set of a plurality of bright spots,
The plurality of through holes are formed so that the axial direction thereof coincides with the visual recognition direction of the driver seated on the driver seat,
Each emission surface of each light source is not exposed in the vertically upward direction in the use state of the vehicle display device,
The vehicle display device, wherein cylindrical walls of the plurality of through holes are interposed between the opening ends of the plurality of through holes and the emission surfaces of the plurality of light sources.   2. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of through-holes is formed such that each axis thereof has a radial shape centered on one point in a space near the driver's seat.   The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the center is an eye point that represents a position of a driver's eyes seated in a driver's seat.   4. The vehicle display device according to claim 2, wherein the plate member is rotatably held so as to change the position of the center. 5.   5. The optical member that corrects an optical path of light emitted from the emission surface so as to approach the direction along the axis is disposed on the emission surface. 6. Vehicle display device.   The vehicle display device according to claim 5, wherein the optical member is a convex lens.   The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a light transmittance control member is disposed on the display surface of the plate member so as to cover the open ends of the plurality of through holes. Display device.   8. The vehicle display device according to claim 7, wherein the light transmittance control member is a smoke-like sheet.

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