JP7542877B2 - Apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies “https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yupiteru.obdviewer” Posted on October 15, 2015

The present invention relates to, for example, an apparatus and a program.

It is common for various vehicle information such as vehicle speed and engine RPM to be displayed multiple times on the display of an in-vehicle device. In such cases, there is a need to be able to change the display size and position of each of the multiple pieces of vehicle information displayed according to the user's requests, etc.

Technology for changing such display size and position is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes an in-vehicle meter editing device that allows changes to be made in accordance with the user's preferences and appearance at any time inside the vehicle without requiring special equipment.

JP 2013-154767 A

The in-vehicle meter editing device described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 detects gesture operations by the user using a touch panel and edits the in-vehicle meter according to the content of the gesture operation.

For example, if the detected gesture operation is a pinch out gesture, which is an operation of touching two points and moving the distance between the two touch positions apart, a process is performed to enlarge the size of the meter. On the other hand, if the detected gesture operation is a pinch in gesture, which is an operation of touching two points and moving the distance between the two touch positions apart, a process is performed to reduce the size of the meter (see paragraph [0031] of the specification of Patent Document 1, etc.).

The method described in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to edit the size of an in-vehicle meter according to the user's preferences. However, in order to edit the size of the meter using the method described in Patent Document 1, the user must perform gesture operations such as a pinch-out gesture to fine-tune the size of the meter to the user's preference, which is a complex and delicate operation.

In particular, when an in-vehicle device is operated by a driver, the operation is often performed in a limited time situation, such as when the vehicle is stopped. For this reason, it is undesirable to force the user to perform complicated and delicate operations.

The present invention aims to provide a device and program that are easier to use than conventional devices, for example by allowing users to edit display information with simpler operations than conventional devices.

(1) A device including a control unit having a function of drawing a meter in a display area for drawing a meter within a display area of a display unit,
The device is characterized in that the control unit further has a function of changing the total number of meters drawn on the display unit and changing the size of the meters to a size different from that before the total number of meters was changed when the control unit receives an operation from the operation unit that changes the total number of meters.

In this way, the user can change both the total number of meters and the size of the meters by performing "an operation that changes the total number." Therefore, in order for the user to change the size of the meters, there is no need to perform any operation other than the operation that changes the total number of meters, which is advantageous because it saves the user time.

In this way, the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a device that is easier to use than conventional devices.

The "control unit" may be realized, for example, by a calculation processing unit of the device performing calculation processing based on specified software, and controlling the hardware included in the device based on the results of such calculation processing.

The "display unit" may be realized, for example, by a display on an in-vehicle device, so that the meter can be viewed on the vehicle. For example, it may be the display of a car navigation device. It is then possible to switch between viewing information for driving guidance from the car navigation device and the meter drawn by this configuration.

The "operation unit" may be realized, for example, by a touch panel integrated with the display of the in-vehicle device. This is advantageous because it does not require a special device for operation. It is also advantageous because it allows the user seated in the vehicle seat to perform the operation.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the "meter" represents information about the vehicle. For example, it is preferable that the meter represents a numerical value that represents the value of the information about the vehicle. It is also preferable that the meter is an instrument that represents the value of the information about the vehicle with a rectangular display area, such as a bar meter, or a circular instrument, such as a tachometer, so that the user can intuitively grasp the value of the information about the vehicle. It is also preferable that the information about the vehicle is information that changes as the vehicle is operated, so that the user can immediately refer to the changes in the information.

Furthermore, the "operation that results in a change in the total number of meters" may be an operation in which the user selects a meter that he or she wishes to add and draw on the display unit. It may also be an operation in which the user selects a meter that he or she wishes to remove from the meters that are drawn on the display unit. Furthermore, these operations may be operations in which a single meter is selected. It may also be operations in which multiple meters are selected at the same time.

Furthermore, in order for the control unit to "accept an operation that results in a change in the total number of meters," it is preferable that the control unit acquire the operation detected by the operation unit, and recognize whether or not the total number of meters has changed from the acquired operation content, and perform processing. Alternatively, it is preferable that the operation unit first accepts a user's operation, transfers the operation accepted by the operation unit to the control unit, and the control unit accepts the transferred operation.

(2) The control unit may be characterized in that it increases the number of meters rendered on the display unit in a simultaneously viewable display mode by using a function for changing the size of the meters.

In this way, the user can refer to a larger number of meters in a display format that allows them to be viewed simultaneously. This is advantageous because it eliminates the need for the user to perform operations such as reducing the size of each meter to increase the number of meters that can be viewed simultaneously. For example, when combined with (1) above, the user need only perform an "operation that changes the total number" to activate the function for changing the size of the meters.

The size of all meters may be changed in the same way. Also, if it is possible to increase the number of meters that are rendered in a simultaneously viewable display format, it may be possible to change the size of only some of the meters.

(3) The control unit may be characterized in that it uses a function for changing the size of the meters to draw all the meters on the display unit in a display format that allows them to be viewed simultaneously.

(4) When the control unit receives an operation for adding a meter to be drawn on the display unit as an operation that causes a change in the total number of the meters,
The control unit may be configured to add a meter in response to the operation and reduce the size of the meter while maintaining the shape of the meter.

In this way, by performing an operation to add a meter to be drawn, the user can not only increase the total number of meters to be drawn, but also make the meters smaller. This is advantageous because it can prevent, for example, a situation in which the meters cannot be displayed on one screen due to the addition of more meters.

In addition, by doing this, the meter shape is maintained, so the meter can be displayed in the same shape even if the size is reduced. This is good because the user can continue to refer to the meters displayed in the same shape. In other words, it is good because the shape of the meter will not change unexpectedly to a shape that the user does not expect as the total number of meters increases. It is also good because it reduces the possibility that the user will lose sight of a meter that the user was focusing on before and after the meter size was reduced, or a specific meter that the user imagines he or she wants to see in his or her mind.

(5) When the control unit receives an operation for reducing a meter to be drawn on the display unit as an operation that causes a change in the total number of the meters,
The control unit may reduce the meter in response to the operation and increase the size of the meter while maintaining the shape of the meter.

In this way, by performing an operation to reduce the number of meters to be drawn, the user can not only reduce the total number of meters to be drawn, but also make the meters larger. This is advantageous because it allows the user to refer to larger, easier-to-read meters.

(6) When the control unit receives, from the operation unit, an operation that causes a change in the total number of meters drawn on the display unit,
The control unit may change a positional relationship of meters to be displayed on the display unit.

In this way, when "an operation that changes the total number of meters drawn on the display unit is received," it becomes possible to "change the relative positions of the meters." This allows the user to realize not only the two changes described above in (1), namely changing the total number of meters and changing the size of the meters, but also all three changes, namely "changing the relative positions of the meters," by performing an operation to "change the total number."

Such "changes in the positional relationship of the meters" should be made in conjunction with other changes. For example, if other changes include increasing the total number of meters and making each display area smaller, the positional relationship should be changed so that each of the smaller display areas fits appropriately within one screen. For example, if two meters are drawn side by side in a row, and one more meter is drawn, the positional relationship of the meters should be changed so that they are drawn in two rows, such as displaying one meter in the lower row and drawing the other two meters in the upper row. In particular, if the positional relationship of the meters is changed, it is recommended to change the positional relationship of the meters when each meter can be viewed simultaneously without changing the size of each meter.

(7) It is preferable that the meters drawn on the display unit each have the same shape.

This is good because it prevents a situation where various shapes, such as rectangular meters and round meters, are mixed on the screen, making it difficult for the user to refer to each meter. Also, since multiple shapes are not mixed, it is good because it gives a sense of unity in the design.

(8) When the total number of meters drawn on the display unit is a first number, each of the meters is set to the same first size;
When the total number of meters drawn on the display unit is a second number different from the first number, it is preferable that each of the meters be set to the same second size different from the first size.

In this way, when changing the size of the meters as the total number of meters changes, it is possible to prevent meters of various sizes from being mixed on the same screen, which would make it difficult for the user to refer to each meter. In addition, since multiple sizes are not mixed, it is possible to achieve a unified design. Furthermore, if the size of each displayed meter is the same, the visibility of each meter can also be unified. Therefore, it is possible to display multiple meters without prioritizing the visibility of each meter. This is particularly advantageous in situations where it is not necessary to make only some of the meters easy to see.

(9) It is preferable that the shape of some of the meters drawn on the display unit is similar to the shape of other meters.

This is good because it prevents various meters from being mixed on the screen, making it difficult for the user to refer to each piece of information. Also, since there is no mixing of multiple shapes, it is good because it gives a sense of unity in the design.

This "similar" configuration also allows the size of each meter to be different, which is advantageous. By making the size of each displayed meter different, it is possible to make the meter that should be easy to see easier to see than the other meters, which is advantageous. This is particularly advantageous because it is suitable for use in situations where the importance of each of multiple meters differs and there is a need to make certain meters especially easy to see. In particular, it is advantageous to display meters that should be referred to immediately, such as the current speed, larger, and display information that does not require immediate reference, such as fuel economy information, smaller.

(10) The aspect ratio of the meter drawn on the display unit may be determined based on the aspect ratio of the entire display area, regardless of changes to the size of the meter.

In this way, for example, if the aspect ratio of the entire display area is 16:9, the meters can be drawn without creating wasted display area, compared to when the aspect ratio of each meter is 4:3.

As a specific example, if there are four meters to be drawn, the display area can be divided into four equal parts, two columns and two rows, so the meters can be drawn without creating any wasted area. If the aspect ratio of each meter were 4:3, there would be wasted display area, so this configuration is better than this case in that it makes effective use of the entire display area.

This is beneficial for users as it allows them to see each meter in a larger, easier-to-read format.

(11) The meters may be arranged and drawn in a plurality of columns, with the vertical positions of the meters drawn in the plurality of columns being different for each of the columns, or the meters may be arranged and drawn in a plurality of rows, with the horizontal positions of the meters drawn in the plurality of rows being different for each of the rows, or both of the meters may be arranged and drawn in a plurality of rows.

In this way, if the meter shape is, for example, circular or diamond shaped, the meter can be displayed larger, allowing the user to view the meter in a larger, easier-to-see format.

We will explain this point using a concrete example. For example, if three meters are each circular with a certain diameter, and the vertical positions of the meters arranged in multiple rows are the same in each row, the meters cannot be drawn at a size greater than the diameter dividing the width of the meters into thirds. However, if the vertical positions of the meters are made different for each row, so that they are arranged alternately up and down, the meters can be drawn at a size greater than the diameter dividing the width of the meters into thirds. In other words, it is possible to increase the size of each meter.

(12) The meters drawn on the display unit may be arranged in multiple rows, and the total number of meters arranged in a row located near the windshield of the vehicle in the line of sight of a user driving the vehicle in which the display unit is installed may be greater than the total number of meters arranged in other rows.

This is advantageous because it allows many meters to be displayed in the location that catches the user's eye first when the user moves their gaze from the windshield to the display unit. In other words, it is advantageous because it allows the user to detect the contents of many meters without having to move their gaze significantly from the windshield.

(13) When the control unit receives an operation for swapping a position of a certain meter drawn on the display unit with a position of another meter from the operation unit,
The control unit may be configured to switch the layout position of the certain meter and the layout position of the other meter without changing the sizes of the certain meter and the other meter.

This allows the user to select which meter to display in which location by operating the device.

For example, it would be good if the user could be given the option to move meters that the user considers important to a more easily visible area of the display.

(14) When a plurality of meters are drawn on the display unit,
For some of the meters, a combination of a number representing a value of the vehicle information corresponding to the some of the meters and an instrument representing the value of the vehicle information corresponding to the some of the meters is included;
The other meters may preferably include a number representing the value of the vehicle information corresponding to the other meter.

This way, you can decide whether to display a combination of gauges and numbers, or just the numbers, depending on the meter's contents.

As for some meters, it is advisable to use meters that correspond to vehicle information that can express the current value as a percentage of the upper limit of the numerical value. For example, it is advisable to select meters for speed and engine RPM. This allows the user to easily grasp the current speed or engine RPM by looking at the gauge, compared to when the speed or engine RPM is simply displayed as a numerical value.

On the other hand, other meters may correspond to vehicle information for which it is difficult to express the current value as a percentage of the upper limit of the numerical value. For example, a meter that shows the accumulated driving time may be used. As is commonly used on clocks, time is usually represented as 60 minutes or 12 hours with a single circle. In contrast, accumulated driving time is measured in units of hundreds or thousands of hours, which is difficult to represent with a single gauge. For this reason, it is better to represent accumulated driving time, etc., as a numerical value rather than a combination of a gauge and a numerical value.

(15) The meter may be characterized in that at least a plurality of gauges are drawn to show the values of a plurality of pieces of vehicle information corresponding to each meter, and the plurality of gauges are drawn in a display manner that allows comparison.

In this way, multiple pieces of vehicle information can be displayed in a manner that allows comparison as a single meter, which is advantageous because the user can compare multiple pieces of vehicle information. For example, multiple pieces of vehicle information can be displayed adjacent to each other so that the user can compare them. For example, it is advantageous because it allows the user to compare multiple pieces of vehicle information, such as fuel efficiency over the most recent specified period and fuel efficiency accumulated up to now. This is advantageous because it allows the user to easily grasp things like, "My most recent driving method has been more fuel efficient than my previous driving method."

(16) It is preferable that the meter drawn on the display unit includes characters representing the name of the meter itself, and the position of the characters representing the name of the meter itself is different for each meter.

In this way, it is possible to display meters that include characters that represent the name of the meter itself. This is advantageous because it allows the user to recognize and identify each meter by its name.

This also makes it possible to "make the position of the characters representing the meter's name different for each meter." This makes it easier for the user to identify which meter it is by looking at the position of the name. For this reason, this configuration is even better when combined with configurations such as (6), (7), and (8) above, where it is difficult to identify each meter based on the meter's shape alone.

Furthermore, even if the way the meter is represented differs for each meter, for example because the shape of the instruments included in the meter is different, the position of the characters representing the name of the meter can be flexibly determined accordingly.

(17) It is preferable that the meter drawn on the display unit includes an instrument that indicates the value of the vehicle information corresponding to the meter, and that the start and end positions of the range that indicates the value of the vehicle information within the instrument are different for each meter.

In this way, it is possible to "make the start and end positions of the range that represents the value of the vehicle information in the instrument different for each meter." This makes it easier for the user to identify which meter it is by looking at the start and end positions. Therefore, this configuration is even better when combined with configurations such as (6), (7), and (8) above, where it is difficult to identify each meter based on the shape of the meter alone.

(18) It is preferable that an image of a different part is cut out for each meter, and the cut out image is displayed as a thumbnail on the meter list screen.

This allows users to easily identify each meter, compared to simply displaying the meter name on the meter list screen.

This is also advantageous because, by cutting out an image of a "different" part for each meter, it is possible to more easily identify each meter than if the same part of each meter were cut out. In this case, it is even better to cut out a characteristic part for each meter, as this makes it even easier to identify each meter. This configuration is even better when combined with configurations such as (6), (7), and (8) above, where it is difficult to identify each meter based on the meter shape alone. It is also even better when combined with configurations (15) and (16) above, as this makes it even easier to identify the meters.

(19) Even if the value of the vehicle information corresponding to the meter drawn on the display unit has not changed, the meter may be drawn by changing the meter in a time series.

In this way, even if the meter represents a meter that does not change easily, it will change in a chronological order, which is advantageous because it can create a sense of liveliness for the user. "Changing in a chronological order" can mean, for example, making the meter blink. It is also good to make the meter animate.

In addition, in this configuration, "the value of the vehicle information corresponding to the meter has not changed" may be defined as the value of the vehicle information having not changed for a predetermined period of time.

For example, suppose the vehicle information displayed by the meter is the average speed when a specified distance is traveled. In this case, the meter will not change at all until the specified distance has been traveled, and therefore no animation will be performed. However, if the meter that is displayed does not animate for a long time, the display content will lose its liveliness. Therefore, with this configuration, a meter that does not change much like this will be animated, which is advantageous because it can create a lively display content.

(20) The vehicle information displayed in the meter drawn on the display unit may include both or either of information acquired from a sensor installed in the vehicle in which the display unit is installed and information calculated based on the information acquired from the sensor.

In this way, it becomes possible for the meter to include "information acquired" from the sensor of the vehicle in which the display unit is installed, i.e., the sensor of the vehicle to which the meter is output. This is advantageous because it allows the meter to be generated based on values measured by the center. It is also advantageous because it allows values measured by the sensor to be reflected in real time.

Furthermore, with this configuration, it is possible to include "information calculated based on information obtained from the sensor" in the meter. This makes it possible, for example, not to simply display the speed obtained from the sensor as is on the meter, but to calculate the average speed over a specified period of time based on the speed obtained from the sensor and time information obtained from this device, and to display this average speed on the meter. Also, for example, fuel efficiency can be calculated based on information obtained from the sensor and a specified formula stored in this device, and this fuel efficiency can be displayed on the meter.

In this way, by using sensors installed in the vehicle and information obtained from this device, the number of meters available to the user can be increased, allowing a variety of meters to be used.

(21) The information may be acquired from a sensor installed in a vehicle in which the display unit is installed via an OBD (On-board diagnostics) installed in the vehicle.

In this way, it becomes possible to "obtain information from sensors installed in the vehicle via OBD." This is advantageous because it allows information to be obtained all at once from sensors installed in the vehicle. Furthermore, OBD is a general-purpose standard, so if the vehicle is equipped with OBD, information can be obtained simply by preparing a cable to connect to the OBD. Furthermore, it is advantageous because the user does not need to install various sensors in the vehicle just to use this device.

(22) A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of a control unit of the device described in any one of (1) to (21) above.

This configuration is advantageous in that the program can cause the computer to function as a control unit of any of the devices described in (1) to (21) above.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a device and program that are easier to use than conventional devices, for example by allowing display information to be edited with simpler operations than conventional devices.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the front appearance of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a connection between a terminal and a cradle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection to an OBD2 connector in an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram (1/7) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram (2/7) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram (3/7) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4/7 shows screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram (5/7) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6/7 shows screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram (7/7) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of bar meters according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the layout of a multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the effect of misaligning a multimeter in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a first multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a second multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 illustrates a third multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a fourth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a fifth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a sixth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a seventh multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an eighth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a ninth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a tenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an eleventh multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a twelfth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a thirteenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a fourteenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a fifteenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a sixteenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a seventeenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an eighteenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a nineteenth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a twentieth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a twenty-first multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a twenty-second multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a twenty-third multimeter in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a twenty-fourth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a twenty-fifth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a 26th multimeter in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a twenty-seventh multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a twenty-eighth multimeter in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a twenty-ninth multimeter in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a thirtieth multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a thirty-first multimeter in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a thirty-second multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram (1/2) showing a selection screen of a multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram (2/2) showing a selection screen of a multimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an SP meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Screen display overview>
First, an overview of the screen display of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Here, the terminal 100 of this embodiment has a rectangular plate-like shape when viewed from above. Fig. 1 is a view of the terminal 100 facing one plane. As shown in Fig. 1, the terminal 100 includes a touch panel 110, which is a touch panel display with a display function, as a display unit and operation unit. The touch panel 110 is realized by a 7-inch wide XGA liquid crystal with a resolution of 1280 x 720 and an aspect ratio of 16:9.

The display area of the touch panel 110 is divided into three areas, vertically, with the three areas, display area AR1, display area AR2, and display area AR3, arranged adjacent to each other from top to bottom.

Display area AR1 is located at the top, and its vertical width occupies approximately 6.5% of the vertical width of the entire display area of touch panel 110. Display area AR2 is located at the bottom, and its vertical width occupies approximately 8% of the vertical width of the entire display area of touch panel 110. Display area AR3 is located between display area AR1 and display area AR2, and its vertical width occupies approximately 85.5% of the vertical width of the entire display area of touch panel 110. These display areas are not divided left and right, and are provided from the left end to the right end of display area AR2.

In the figure, white dashed lines are drawn to clearly indicate the boundaries between these three areas, but in reality, such dashed lines are not displayed on the touch panel 110.

Display area AR1 is an area for notifying the status of terminal 100, and is an area in which, for example, an icon indicating that specific information has been received, or an icon indicating the remaining battery level or radio wave reception status of terminal 100 is displayed. Here, terminal 100 is compliant with Android (registered trademark) provided by Google Inc. (registered trademark). These icons are displayed, for example, using the functions of Android.

Display area AR3 is an area in which software keys for operating terminal 100 are displayed. Arranged in display area AR3 from left to right are a back key for returning to the previous screen, a home button for returning to the home screen, a task button for displaying the history of recently used apps, a hands-free button for making hands-free calls, and a launcher button for displaying a launcher screen. A user can execute a function corresponding to each software key by performing an operation such as a tap operation to press or a long press on these software keys.

Display area AR2 is a display area in which an application program built into terminal 100 displays meters, and vehicle information related to the vehicle in which terminal 100 is installed is displayed as meters. It is possible to display multiple such meters at the same time. When terminal 100 receives an operation from a user that changes the total number of meters, it changes the total number of meters drawn on touch panel 110 and changes the size of the meters to a size different from that before the change in the total number of meters.

This allows the user to perform two changes, changing the total number of meters and changing the size of the meters to a different size, by performing an "operation that changes the total number." Therefore, in order for the user to change the size of the meters, there is no need to perform any operation other than the operation that changes the total number of meters, which saves the user time. This is an overview of the screen display in this embodiment.

It is possible to display wallpaper in the display area AR2 as a background for the meter. Therefore, as will be the case in the subsequent drawings, the display area AR2 will display wallpaper images in addition to the meter.

<External Appearance and Functional Blocks of Terminal 100>
Next, the external appearance of the terminal 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Here, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the terminal 100 as viewed from the right side of the rear side, with the surface on which the touch panel 110 is arranged being the front surface of the terminal 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 100 includes a GPS module 120, a volume control button 130, a power button 140, a camera 150, a MicroSD card slot 160, a mini USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal 170, a cradle joint hole 180, and a built-in speaker 190.

Specifically, the volume control button 130 and the power button 140, which are operation buttons, are arranged together on the upper right side of the terminal 100 when facing the rear face. In addition, the MicroSD card insertion port 160 and the mini USB terminal 170, which are input/output interfaces, are arranged on the right side when facing the rear face of the terminal 100. Furthermore, the camera 150 is arranged on the upper right of the rear face of the terminal 100, and the built-in speaker 190 and the sound emission hole for emitting the sound output by the built-in speaker 190 to the outside are arranged on the lower left of the rear face of the terminal 100. Furthermore, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module is arranged inside the upper left of the rear face of the terminal 100. Furthermore, the cradle joint hole 180 for connecting a cradle is arranged in the center part of the lower part of the rear face of the terminal 100. The connection between the cradle that connects to the cradle joint hole 180 and the cradle joint hole 180 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

Next, the specific functions of these units and other functional blocks will be explained with reference to the functional block diagram in Figure 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal 100 includes a control unit 101, an acceleration sensor 102, a touch panel 110, a GPS module 120, a volume adjustment button 130, a power button 140, a camera 150, a MicroSD card insertion port 160, a mini USB terminal 170, a cradle joint hole 180, and a built-in speaker 190. Here, the terminal 100 is a device that performs the display as described with reference to FIG. 1, and is realized by a so-called tablet-type device and software incorporated therein. The terminal 100 can be used as a portable terminal powered by a battery (not shown), and can also be used as a stationary terminal by being installed on the dashboard of a car, etc.

The control unit 101 is a part that controls each functional block included in the terminal 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 generates image data to be displayed on the touch panel 110 and draws it on the touch panel 110. For example, the control unit 101 generates an image of a meter and draws it on the touch panel 110. The control unit 101 also inputs an operation from the user detected by the touch panel 110 from the touch panel 110. Furthermore, the control unit 101 causes the built-in speaker 190 to output a sound. The sound is, for example, a warning sound that is output when the vehicle information reaches a predetermined value. Furthermore, the control unit 101 receives an operation for adjusting the volume by the user from the volume adjustment button 130 that is received by the volume adjustment button 130. Furthermore, the control unit 101 receives an operation for switching the power on and off that is received by the power button 140 from the power button 140. Furthermore, the control unit 101 takes an image by controlling the camera 150. Furthermore, the control unit 101 inputs the positioning information measured by the GPS module 120 and the acceleration value measured by the acceleration sensor 102 from the GPS module 120 and the acceleration sensor 102, respectively. Furthermore, the control unit 101 reads data from a MicroSD card inserted into the MicroSD card insertion slot 160, and writes data to a MicroSD card inserted into the MicroSD card insertion slot 160. Furthermore, the control unit 101 communicates with other devices connected via a miniUSB cable connected to the miniUSB terminal 170.

Such a control unit 101 is realized by combining, for example, an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) with a storage device such as a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU reads software stored in the ROM or a MicroSD card inserted into the MicroSD card insertion slot 160, loads the software into the RAM and performs arithmetic processing based on the software, and controls each piece of hardware included in the terminal 100 based on the results of the arithmetic processing, thereby realizing control of the entire terminal 100.

When the touch panel 110 detects a user pressing the screen, it inputs to the control unit 101 information indicating the position on the screen of the touch panel 110 where the operation was detected. Specifically, it inputs to the control unit 101 two-dimensional coordinate information indicating the position where the operation was detected. In addition, the touch panel 110 displays image data input from the control unit 101 on the screen.

The built-in speaker 190 outputs sounds such as warning sounds, music, and voices input from the control unit 101.

The volume adjustment button 130 is a button for adjusting the volume, and is realized by, for example, a button that is pressed to increase the volume and a button that is pressed to decrease the volume. The volume adjustment button 130 outputs the operation content for adjusting the volume received from the user to the control unit 101.

The power button 140 is a physical power button that accepts a user operation to switch the power on and off, and outputs the content of the accepted operation to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 switches the power of the terminal 100 on and off according to the content of the operation.

The GPS module 120 operates by receiving radio waves from multiple GPS satellites to determine the current position of the terminal 100 and outputs information about the determined current position to the control unit 101. Here, the information about the current position is realized by, for example, coordinate information such as latitude and longitude.

The acceleration sensor 102 measures acceleration and inputs the measured acceleration to the control unit 101. Here, when the terminal 100 is installed and used in an automobile, the current position measured by the GPS module 120 represents the current position of the automobile, and the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 102 represents the acceleration of the automobile.

The MicroSD card slot 160 is a portion into which a MicroSD card, which is a removable storage medium, is inserted by the user. For example, application software for implementing this embodiment is stored in the MicroSD card slot 160. The application software is then loaded and used under the control of the control unit 101. Since the MicroSD card is removable, for example, it is possible to insert the MicroSD card into a personal computer, download the latest application software, and then insert the MicroSD card into the MicroSD card slot 160 to use the latest application software on the terminal 100. In addition, by using the MicroSD card in this way, it is also possible to add new meters to be displayed in this embodiment.

The camera 150 is a camera for capturing images, and can capture images under the control of the control unit 101. The captured image can be set, for example, as a background image for the display area AR2.

The miniUSB terminal 170 is a terminal that complies with the miniUSB standard. An external device is connected to the miniUSB terminal 170 via a cable that complies with the USB standard. Power is then supplied from the external device to the terminal 100 via the cable. It is also possible for the control unit 101 and the external device to communicate with each other via the cable.

The cradle joint hole 180 is a hole for joining the terminal 100 to the cradle 200 in which the terminal 100 is installed.

Next, the connection between the terminal 100 and the cradle 200, and the connection between the terminal 100 and an external device via the mini USB terminal 170 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

The upper part of FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a case where the terminal 100 is attached to the cradle 200. On the other hand, the lower part of FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a case where the terminal 100 is removed from the cradle 200. The terminal 100 can be attached to the cradle 200 for stationary use, or can be removed from the cradle 200 for portable use.

First, the configuration of each part will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the cradle 200 includes a protrusion 201 and a removal button 202. The cradle 200 is also connected to a suction cup 210.

The suction cup 210 is fixed by an internal suction cup, for example, on the dashboard of a car, in a position within reach of the driver even when he is sitting in the driver's seat. The cradle 200 is connected to the suction cup 210, but the suction cup 210 is structured so that the cradle 200 can be rotated left and right and moved up and down even after the cradle 200 is connected by loosening a fixing mechanism such as a nut.

The protrusion 201 is a protrusion for connecting the terminal 100, and has a convex shape corresponding to the concave shape provided as the cradle joint hole 180 in the terminal 100. Then, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 4, by inserting the terminal 100 into the cradle 200, the cradle joint hole 180 and the protrusion 201 can be fitted together, thereby connecting the terminal 100 and the cradle 200. The state in which the terminal 100 and the cradle 200 are connected will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

In addition, the protrusion 201 is provided with a claw that engages with the cradle joint hole 180 when the terminal 100 and the cradle 200 are connected. This claw allows the terminal 100 and the cradle 200 to be firmly connected.

By connecting in this manner, the terminal 100 can be installed in a self-supporting state, for example on the dashboard of a vehicle, in a position within reach of the user even when sitting in the driver's seat. This makes it possible for the user to perform operations such as changing the size of a meter on the touch panel 110 of the terminal 100 while sitting in the driver's seat, and for the user to view the display of the meter displayed on the touch panel 110 while sitting in the driver's seat.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cradle joint hole 180 is provided on the back of the terminal 100 and cannot be seen from the front of the terminal 100, so the cradle joint hole 180 is shown by a dashed line in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 5 described below.

As shown in the lower part of FIG. 4, the removal button 202 is a button that is used when removing the terminal 100 from the cradle 200. The user presses the removal button 202 when removing the terminal 100 from the cradle 200. When the removal button 202 is pressed, it operates to release the engagement of the claw that engages the cradle joint hole 180 provided in the protrusion 201. This releases the engagement of the claw, allowing the user to remove the terminal 100 from the cradle 200.

Note that power is not supplied to the terminal 100 via the cradle 200, and signals are not transmitted or received to the terminal 100 via the cradle 200. Therefore, there is no need to electrically connect the terminal 100 and the cradle 200. As a result, there is no need to wire the cradle 200, and the user can install the cradle 200 in any desired position without having to worry about wiring.

Next, referring to Figure 5, we will explain the state in which the terminal 100 and the cradle 200 are connected.

Figure 5 shows the cradle joint hole 180 of the terminal 100 connected to the cradle 200.

In this state, since the cradle 200 is fixed onto the dashboard, the terminal 100 can be installed in a self-supporting state, as described above.

In addition, in this embodiment, after the terminal 100 is installed, an OBD2 (On Board Diagnosis second generation) adapter 300 is connected to the terminal 100. Specifically, the OBD2 adapter 300 is connected to the mini USB terminal 170. The OBD2 adapter is then connected to the OBD2 connector of the automobile in which the terminal 100 is installed.

Here, OBD2 is a function for realizing the self-diagnosis function of the automobile. In OBD2, in order to obtain information measured by each sensor installed in the automobile by an ECU (Electrical Control Unit), which is a microcomputer installed in the automobile, a LAN is constructed by connecting each sensor and the ECU with a communication line called a CAN bus. By connecting to this LAN via an OBD2 connector, the control unit 101 of the terminal 100 can obtain information measured by each sensor installed in the automobile.

The control unit 101 then generates a meter based on the information measured by each of these sensors and displays the generated meter in the display area AR2 of the touch panel 110. In this embodiment, the terminal 100 also receives power from the vehicle battery via the OBD2 adapter 300.

<Operation of Terminal 100 and Screen Transition>
Next, the operation of displaying a meter by each functional block of the terminal 100 and the accompanying screen transitions will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 13. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal 100 regarding the meter display. Fig. 7 to Fig. 13 are diagrams showing the screen transitions on the touch panel 110. Note that the operation of each step in Fig. 7 is performed based on the control of the control unit 101 unless otherwise specified.

First, the terminal 100 starts up when the power button 140 is pressed or when power supply from the mini USB terminal 170 starts. The control unit 101 then displays a meter on the touch panel 110. In this embodiment, four types of meter display methods are provided. Specifically, four types are provided: a "simple meter" in FIG. 7(A), a "bar meter" in FIG. 7(B), a "multimeter" in FIG. 7(C), and an "SP meter" in FIG. 7(D).

Here, a simple meter is a rectangular meter that simply displays the numerical values of vehicle information, and can display up to 15 items.

A bar meter is a rectangular meter that combines a numerical value of the vehicle information with a bar that represents the value of the vehicle information, and can display up to nine items. In the simple meter and bar meter, one meter displays vehicle information for one item. For example, since there is an upper limit for the vehicle speed, the bar can represent what percentage of the upper limit the current speed is. However, since there is no upper limit for the driving time, it is not possible to set a standard for the length of the bar, and it is difficult to represent the current driving time with a bar. Therefore, for meters of such items such as driving time, only the numerical value of the vehicle information value is displayed. For items such as vehicle speed, the bar starts when the speed per hour is zero, and the start point is the left end of the meter, and the bar extends to the right depending on the value. On the other hand, for items such as forward and backward acceleration, where forward acceleration is represented by a positive value and backward acceleration is represented by a negative value, the bar starts when the value is zero, and the start point is the center of the meter, and the bar extends to the left or right depending on the value.

The multimeter is a circular meter that displays vehicle information for multiple items on a single meter, and can display up to eight meters.

The SP meter is a meter that displays the main items on one screen.

Then, the vehicle information is displayed as a meter in one of these four display methods according to the current user settings stored in the control unit 101. If the user settings have not yet been made, the vehicle information is displayed as a meter according to the initial settings stored in the control unit 101. The initial settings are set to display a simple meter.

A screen that displays meters in this way will be referred to as the "meter display screen" below as appropriate. Note that, in consideration of the visual unity of the entire meter display screen, meters are not displayed simultaneously by mixing these four display methods. In other words, a rectangular meter in a simple meter and a circular meter in a multimeter are not displayed simultaneously. Furthermore, in this embodiment, meters are not displayed overlapping each other, but rather each meter is displayed with a specified gap between them.

In step S101, the meter is displayed on the touch panel 110 using one of these four display methods according to the current user settings stored in the control unit 101. If no user settings have been made yet, the meter is displayed on the touch panel 110 according to the initial settings. The initial settings are set to display a simple meter.

Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a drawer display operation has been received. Here, the drawer display operation is a tap operation in which the user presses any part of the display area AR2 of the touch panel 110 while the meter is displayed, which is a very simple operation. If the control unit 101 detects that a display operation in which the user presses any part of the display area AR2 of the touch panel 110 has been received based on the coordinate information of the position where the user's press is detected and input to the control unit 101 by the touch panel 110 (Yes in step S12), the control unit 101 transitions to step S17. On the other hand, if the touch panel 110 does not detect that a drawer display operation has been received from the user (No in step S12), the control unit 101 transitions to step S13.

In step S13, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a meter movement operation has been accepted based on the coordinate information of the position where the user's press was detected and input to the control unit 101 by the touch panel 110.

Here, the meter movement operation will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows an example of moving the meter for the outside air temperature item located in display area AR11 to display area AR13.

First, it is determined whether a long press operation of the meter for the outside temperature item to which the user wishes to move has been accepted. Specifically, it is determined whether a long press operation of the display area AR11 in which the meter for the outside temperature item is displayed has been accepted, as shown in (1-1) of FIG. 8. If accepted, it is made possible for the user to move the meter for the outside temperature item by dragging it.

Here, (1-2) in FIG. 8 shows the state in which the user is moving the meter for the outside temperature item to the display area AR12 by dragging. Note that while the meter is being moved, the meter from which it was moved remains displayed as shown in the display area AR11 in the figure, and the meter being moved is displayed transparently as shown in the display area AR12 in the figure.

Next, when it is detected that the user has moved the meter for the outside temperature item to the display area AR13 by dragging it and then removed his/her hand from the touch panel 110, the meter for the outside temperature item is subsequently displayed in the display area AR13, as shown in (1-3) of FIG. 8. Then, the meter from which it was moved is made invisible. This series of operations by the user constitutes a meter moving operation.

In the case of a simple meter, an area for displaying 15 meters in 5 rows and 3 columns is reserved in the display area AR2, and if the total number of meters is 14 or less, there is a blank area where no meters are displayed. In the case of a simple meter, it is possible to move a meter into this blank area, or to swap the destination meter with the source meter by moving it. On the other hand, for bar meters and multimeters, the meter size is changed depending on whether the number of meters increases or decreases to avoid creating blank areas, so no blank area is provided like in a simple meter. Therefore, it is not possible to move a meter into a blank area like in a simple meter, and it is only possible to swap the destination meter with the source meter by moving it. Even if meters are swapped, the size of each meter does not change.

If the touch panel 110 detects that a meter movement operation has been received (Yes in step S13), the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the touch panel 110 does not detect that a meter movement operation has been received (No in step S13), the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S14, the meter is moved based on the meter movement operation received in step S13. The process in which the control unit 101 moves the meter in response to the received meter movement operation is as described with reference to (1-1) to (1-3) in FIG. 8.

In step S15, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a meter deletion operation has been received.

Here, the meter deletion operation will be explained with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows an example of deleting the meter for the driving time item located in the display area AR13.

First, it is determined whether a long press operation of the meter for the driving time item to be moved has been accepted from the user. Specifically, it is determined whether a long press operation of display area AR14 has been accepted. If accepted, the user is allowed to move the meter for the engine water temperature item by dragging it. This causes the meter for the engine water temperature item to move from display area AR14 to display area AR15, as shown in (2-1) of FIG. 9. Furthermore, if a long press operation is accepted, a display area AR16, which is an area for deleting a meter, is displayed in the area from top to bottom of the right edge of display area AR2. A trash can design is also displayed in display area AR16 to intuitively inform the user that this is an area related to deleting a meter.

Furthermore, when a drag operation is received from the user to move the meter for the driving time item to display area AR17, which partially overlaps with display area AR16 on the right side of the screen, the meter for the engine water temperature item moves to display area AR17 as shown in FIG. 9 (2-1). Note that the meter deletion operation is not currently being performed and the meter is being moved, so the meter from which it was moved remains displayed as shown in display area AR14 in the figure, and the meter being moved is displayed transparently as shown in display area AR17 in the figure.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9 (2-2), when the area displaying the meter overlaps with display area AR16, if the user ends the drag operation in display area AR16, that is, when it is detected that the user has released his/her finger on display area AR16, the meter for the engine water temperature item is deleted as shown in FIG. 9 (2-3). Specifically, the display of display area AR17 and display area AR14, in which the meter for the engine water temperature item was displayed until just before, is terminated. This also ends the meter deletion operation, and the display of the area for deleting the meter, including the dust, in display area AR16 is also terminated. This series of user operations constitutes the meter deletion operation.

In FIG. 9, white dashed lines are drawn to clearly indicate the boundaries of the display area AR16, but in reality, such dashed lines are not displayed on the touch panel 110.

If the touch panel 110 detects that a meter deletion operation has been received (2-Yes in step S15), the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the touch panel 110 does not detect that a meter deletion operation has been received (2-No in step S15), the process proceeds to step S12 and the process is repeated.

In step S16, the meter is deleted based on the meter deletion operation received in step S15. The process in which the control unit 101 deletes the meter in response to the received meter deletion operation is as described with reference to (2-1) to (2-3) in FIG. 9. After executing the process of step S16, the process transitions to step S12 and the process is repeated.

On the other hand, if the process proceeds to step S17, the control unit 101 displays a navigation drawer on the touch panel 110 (step S17). FIG. 10 shows the navigation drawer displayed in step S17.

The navigation drawer is
The navigation drawer is made up of display areas AR21 to AR28, and is displayed overlapping the meter display in display area AR2. Here, it is displayed at the left end of display area AR2, from the top to the bottom of display area AR2. Here, the navigation drawer is displayed in a size that occupies approximately 25% of the entire left-right width of display area AR2. In this case, by lowering the brightness of the display portion of the meter, the brightness of the navigation drawer increases relatively, making it easier to see the navigation drawer. In addition, the navigation drawer is not transparent. Therefore, the meter that should be displayed in the area overlapping with the navigation drawer becomes invisible. However, it is possible to make the navigation drawer even easier to see.

The user can make various settings by tapping on any of the display areas AR21 to AR28 included in the navigation drawer. Here, a method for displaying the navigation drawer will be described. When the navigation drawer is initially displayed, the three display areas AR21, AR27, and AR28 are displayed one above the other, and the display areas AR22 to AR26 are not displayed.

When the user taps on display area AR21 in this state, display areas AR22 through AR26 are further displayed, so that all of display areas AR21 through AR28 are displayed as shown in FIG. 10.

Next, the control unit 101 determines whether a meter addition operation has been received (step S18). Here, the meter addition operation will be described with reference to FIG. 11. (3-1) to (3-4) of FIG. 11 show an example in which a meter for the driving time item is added to the meter display. First, in FIG. 11 (3-1), the navigation drawer is initially displayed, and three display areas AR21, AR27, and AR28 are displayed one above the other.

When the user taps on display area AR27 in this state or when all of display areas AR22 to AR28 are displayed, the control unit 101 displays a list screen of meter names, as shown in FIG. 11 (3-2). On this meter list screen, highly related meters are grouped together as one category and displayed by category. The name of each category is also listed.

For example, a category named "Speed" is created, and the following meter names are included in this category: "Speed (current speed)", "Average speed (average speed for the current trip)", "Average ordinary road speed (average ordinary road speed for the current trip)", "Average expressway speed (average expressway speed for the current trip)", "Maximum speed (maximum speed for the current trip)", "5-second speed (speed 5 seconds after departure)", "Average 5-second speed (average speed 5 seconds after departure)", and "Maximum 5-second speed (maximum speed 5 seconds after departure)". In addition, since there are many meter names and it is difficult to display all the meter names on one screen, the meter list screen can be scrolled up and down, for example.

The names of meters for roughly one category are displayed on one screen. On the other hand, the meter display screen in this embodiment is designed not to scroll. This makes it possible to prevent the meter from scrolling unintentionally by the user.

The user refers to this meter list screen and long presses the meter they wish to add. For example, they long press the meter for the driving time item as shown in (3-2) of FIG. 11. The control unit 101, which has accepted this operation, switches the display to the meter display screen as shown in (3-3) of FIG. 11. Then, the meter frame is displayed, and the user can move the meter frame by dragging it. At this stage, only the meter frame is displayed, and no information corresponding to the meter item is displayed.

Then, the user drags the meter frame to the location on the meter display screen where the user wants to add the meter, and releases the meter. For example, the user releases the meter frame in display area AR30 as shown in (3-3) of FIG. 11. The control unit 101, which has received this operation, adds and displays the meter for the driving time item selected in (3-2) of FIG. 11 in display area AR30 from where the user released the meter frame. This series of operations by the user constitutes a meter addition operation.

When a simple meter is displayed, the user is prompted to select the area to which they want to add a meter, as shown in (3-3) of Figure 11, but in the case of a bar meter or multi-meter, no selection is allowed. This is because the meter layout changes before and after the addition, and so it is not possible to select the area to which the meter will be added on the screen before the addition. In this case, the user can then perform a meter movement operation to move each meter, including the added meter, to the desired layout. Also, since it is not possible to add an SP meter, the meter addition operation is not allowed when an SP meter is displayed.

In the above explanation with reference to FIG. 11, an example of adding one meter was described, but it is also possible to add multiple meters at the same time. The meter adding operation in this case will be explained with reference to FIG. 12. (4-1) in FIG. 12 is a display that corresponds to the upper right of (3-2) in FIG. 11. The characters "Multiple Selections ON" are displayed in the display area AR32 in (4-1) in FIG. 12. Here, the characters "Multiple Selections ON" are displayed in the upper right of the display area AR12. In addition, the horizontal width of the display area AR32 is approximately 13% of the entire horizontal width of the display area AR2. Furthermore, the vertical width of the display area AR32 is approximately 13% of the entire vertical width of the display area AR2.

When the user taps on the display area AR32, the control unit 101 that has received this operation switches the settings so that multiple selections can be made. After that, for example, as shown in (4-2) of FIG. 12, the user selects the meters with the names displayed in the display areas AR33, AR34, and AR35 by tapping. Then, when the user taps on the display area AR36 where the word "add" is displayed, the control unit 101 that has received this operation adds all three meters with the names displayed in the display areas AR33, AR34, and AR35 to the meter display screen. Note that, since the operation of specifying the area to which all the multiple selected meters are to be added is complicated, when multiple meters are selected, the control unit 101 does not allow the user to select the area to which the meters are to be added, and the meters are automatically added to the area selected by the control unit 101. In this case, the user can then perform a meter movement operation to move each meter, including the added meter, and arrange the meters in the desired arrangement.

If the touch panel 110 detects that a meter addition operation has been received (Yes in step S18), the process proceeds to step S19. On the other hand, if the touch panel 110 does not detect that a meter addition operation has been received (No in step S18), the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S18, a meter is added based on the meter addition operation received in step S18. For example, as shown in (3-4) of FIG. 11, a meter for the driving time item is added and displayed in the display area AR30. This adds a meter for the driving time item. Then, the process proceeds to step S11, where the meter display including the meter to which the navigation drawer has been added is performed (step S11), and the process from step S12 onwards is repeated.

On the other hand, in step S20, it is determined whether a meter display switching operation has been received. Here, the meter display switching operation will be described with reference to FIG. 10. As written in the figure, display area AR22 in FIG. 10 corresponds to a simple meter, display area AR23 corresponds to a bar meter, display area AR24 corresponds to a multimeter, display area AR25 corresponds to an SP meter, and display area AR26 corresponds to automatic switching. A user tapping on any of these areas constitutes a meter display switching operation.

If the touch panel 110 detects that a meter display switching operation has been received (Yes in step S20), the process proceeds to step S21. On the other hand, if the touch panel 110 does not detect that a meter display switching operation has been received (No in step S20), the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S20, the meter display method is switched based on the meter display switching operation received in step S20. For example, if the control unit 101 receives a tap operation by the user in any of the display areas AR22 to AR24, the control unit 101 switches to the meter display method corresponding to the received area. Also, if the control unit 101 receives a tap operation by the user in the display area AR26, the control unit 101 switches the meter display method to automatic switching. Here, automatic switching is a method of rotating the display method of the four meters, the simple meter, the bar meter, the multimeter, and the SP meter, every time a predetermined time has elapsed. The length of the predetermined time can be set by the user on a setting screen (corresponding to the processing in step S23 described later) which is transitioned by tapping the display area AR28, and the control unit 101, which receives a setting operation to any of the lengths of 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours, stores the length of the received predetermined time. When the automatic switching is selected, the control unit 101 performs the process of determining whether a predetermined stored time has elapsed in parallel with the process of the flowchart in FIG. 5, and switches the display method of the four meters in a rotating manner each time the predetermined time has elapsed.

In addition, in the navigation drawer, the currently set meter display method is highlighted. For example, if the currently set meter display method is a simple meter, the display area AR22 corresponding to the simple meter is highlighted as shown in FIG. 10. In this case, if a tap operation on the display area AR22 is received, the display will continue using the simple meter display method.

When the processing of step S21 is completed, the process proceeds to step S11, where the meter is displayed using the meter display method after the switch (step S11), and the processing from step S12 onwards is repeated.

On the other hand, in step S22, it is determined whether a setting change operation has been accepted. Here, the setting change operation will be described with reference to FIG. 10. As indicated by text in the figure, display area AR28 in FIG. 10 corresponds to "settings." A setting change operation occurs when the user taps on this display area AR28.

If the touch panel 110 detects that a setting change operation has been received (Yes in step S22), the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if the touch panel 110 does not detect that a setting change operation has been received (No in step S22), the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S23, the control unit 101 changes the settings based on the setting change operation received in step S22. To do this, the control unit 101 first displays a screen for changing the settings. The screen for changing the settings will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

As shown in (5-1) to (5-3) of FIG. 13, the screen for changing settings has areas such as a display area AR37 corresponding to the simple meter settings, a display area AR39 corresponding to the bar meter settings, and a display area AR41 corresponding to the multimeter settings. When a tap operation by the user is received on any of the areas, the setting screen for the meter corresponding to the area where the tap operation was received is displayed on the right side of the screen.

For example, as shown in (5-1), when a tap operation by the user on display area AR37 is accepted, a simple meter setting screen is displayed in display area AR38 on the right side of the screen. On this screen, for example, it is possible to set whether the color theme for displaying the simple meter will be black or white. In addition, it is possible to initialize the color theme and the arrangement of the simple meter.

For example, as shown in (5-2), when a tap operation by the user on display area AR39 is received, a bar meter setting screen is displayed in display area AR40 on the right side of the screen. On this screen, for example, the text color and bar color of the bar meter can be set.

Furthermore, for example, as shown in (5-3), when a tap operation on display area AR41 by the user is accepted, a multimeter setting screen is displayed in display area AR42 on the right side of the screen. On this screen, for example, as a setting for a meter named engine RPM, it is possible to set whether or not to light up a part of the meter, for example, in red when the engine RPM enters a specified zone. In addition, it is also possible to set the upper limit RPM of the zone and the lower limit RPM of the zone. It is also possible to set the meter design that allows lighting to be performed similarly for other meters. Note that, depending on the meter, it is also possible to set the meter to light up not when the measured value is in the zone, but when the measured value exceeds a threshold value or is equal to or less than the threshold value, and these settings and the arrangement of the multimeter can be initialized.

The SP meters have been completed with a unified design, so settings that change the layout, etc. are not allowed. Furthermore, there is no color setting for the multimeter and SP meter settings, and the meter is displayed in a blue color on a black background. In this embodiment, it is also possible to set other items that are not directly related to the meter itself, such as the length of the specified time for automatic switching, as described in the explanation of step S20.

Regardless of which setting change has been made, once the setting change is complete (step S23), the process proceeds to step S11, the meter display is performed according to the setting change (step S11), and the process from step S12 onwards is repeated.

On the other hand, in step S24, it is determined whether a drawer hiding operation has been received. Here, the drawer hiding operation will be described with reference to FIG. 10. When the navigation drawer is displayed as display area AR21 to display area AR28 as shown in FIG. 10, the user performs a tap operation on an area of display area AR2 other than the navigation drawer, i.e., an area of display area AR2 other than display areas AR21 to AR28, which is the drawer hiding operation.

If the touch panel 110 detects that a drawer hide operation has been received (Yes in step S22), the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if the touch panel 110 does not detect that a drawer hide operation has been received (No in step S22), the process proceeds to step S18.

Then, in step S24, the control unit 101 hides the drawer (step S25), transitions to step S11, and displays the meter using the entire display area AR2 as the meter display screen (step S11), and repeats the processing from step S12 onwards.

The operation of this embodiment described above makes it possible to switch the meter display method, move meters, add meters, delete meters, and change various settings in response to user operations.

<Changes in meter size and layout for bar meters and multimeters>
Next, a description will be given of changes to the size and positional relationship of the meters when the control unit 101 changes the total number of meters (steps S16 and S19) in response to receiving an operation that changes the total number of meters, such as the meter deletion operation in step S15 described above or the meter addition operation in step S18. Note that since the change in size and position of the meters is automatically performed by the control unit 101, the user does not need to perform operations to change the size and position of the meters other than the operation that changes the total number of meters, and the user can edit the display information with simpler operations than before.

As mentioned above, the size and layout of the simple meters are set to display 15 meters in 5 rows and 3 columns, and this size and layout will not change even if the total number of meters is changed. Furthermore, the size and layout of the meters will not be changed in SP mode. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on changing the size and layout of the meters in bar meters and multimeters.

First, the case of a bar meter will be described with reference to FIG. 14. Note that FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, which will be described later, only show the display area AR2 of the touch panel 110. Also, in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, which will be described later, the meters displayed in the display area AR2 are shown in schematic form, and each meter is numbered.

As a premise, in this embodiment, the size and arrangement of the meters in a bar meter or multimeter are changed so that all meters can be displayed simultaneously on one screen. This eliminates the need to scroll the meter display screen. Also, because the meter display screen is not scrolled, there is no problem that when a meter is moved or deleted on the meter display screen, or a navigation drawer is displayed and an operation is accepted on the navigation drawer, the screen scrolls against the intention of the user who is attempting to perform the operation without those operations being performed.

As shown in the upper left of Figure 14, the number of meters starts at one, the minimum number of meters displayed on a bar meter, and is explained as the number of meters increases to nine, the maximum number of meters displayed on a bar meter, as shown in the lower right of Figure 14. When the number of meters decreases, the size and arrangement of the number of meters are changed, in the opposite way to when the number of meters increases.

Here, (B) in Figure 7 corresponds to the case where the meter number is 9 as shown in the bottom right of the schematic diagram in Figure 14. For example, the first meter when the meter number is 9 as shown in the bottom right of Figure 14 is the meter for the speed item in (B) in Figure 7. Also, the ninth meter when the meter number is 9 as shown in the bottom right of Figure 14 is the meter for the engine load item in (B) in Figure 7.

First, when there is one meter, the meter is displayed on almost the entire screen of the display area AR2. Next, when there are two meters, a meter is added to the right and displayed in a row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are three meters, a meter is added to the bottom, so that the meters are displayed in two rows, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are four meters, another meter is added to the bottom row, so that the meters are displayed in two rows and two columns, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are five meters, three meters are placed in the top row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are six meters, three meters are placed in the bottom row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are seven meters, more meters are added below, so that the meters are displayed in three rows, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Then, each time the number of meters increases to eight, nine, and so on, more meters are added to the bottom row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. As a result, when there are nine meters, the meters are arranged in three rows and three columns.

In this way, for bar meters, first one bar meter is displayed. After that, as the bar meter increases, the column of each row currently displaying a meter is increased by one, and once the columns have been increased by one for all rows currently displaying meters, the rows are increased by one, and this process is repeated. In this case, when increasing the columns of each row, priority is given to increasing the columns from the top row.

In this way, the size of each meter is changed according to the number of bar meters, and the meter arrangement is changed by changing the relative positions of the meters. This makes it possible to make each meter as large as possible and to make all meters viewable on one screen. Also, if the terminal 100 is installed on the dashboard of a car and the user moves their eyes from the windshield to the touch panel 110, the upper side of the touch panel 110 is closest to the windshield and where the eyes are continuous with the windshield, and the lower side of the touch panel 110 is the furthest position when the eyes are moved away from the windshield. Therefore, in arranging the bar meters, the number of meters is increased preferentially from the upper side of the touch panel 110, which is the first visible side when the eyes are moved away from the windshield.

The shape of the bar meters is determined based on the aspect ratio of the display area AR2. Even if the size of the bar meters is changed depending on the number of bar meters displayed, the shape of the bar meters will not change. Since the aspect ratio of the entire touch panel 110 is 16:9, if the aspect ratio of each bar meter is 16:9, the bar meters can be drawn without wasting display area compared to when the aspect ratio of each bar meter is 4:3.

In this way, for example, if there are four bar meters, the display area can be divided into four equal parts, two columns and two rows, so the bar meters can be drawn without creating any wasted area. If the aspect ratio of each bar meter were 4:3, there would be wasted display area, but this configuration is better because it makes more effective use of the entire display area than in such a case. Therefore, from the user's perspective, it is good because each bar meter can be viewed in a larger, easier-to-see format.

In addition, in this embodiment, for example, when the number of bar meters is 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8, the size of each bar meter is the same. This is advantageous because it gives a sense of unity to each bar meter. On the other hand, when the number of bar meters is 5, the first bar meter, the second bar meter, and the third bar meter are the same size. And the fourth bar meter and the fifth bar meter are the same size. However, the sizes of the first bar meter, the second bar meter, and the third bar meter are different from the sizes of the fourth bar meter and the fifth bar meter, and the first bar meter, the second bar meter, and the third bar meter are made similar in shape to the fourth bar meter and the fifth bar meter. By doing this, the fourth bar meter and the fifth bar meter can be displayed larger than when all the bar meters are the same size.

Next, the case of a multimeter will be explained with reference to Figure 15. Here, the shape of the multimeter will not change even if the size of the multimeter is changed according to the number of multimeters displayed. Also, the size of all multimeters displayed on the same screen will be the same. This is advantageous because it creates a sense of unity across the entire screen.

As shown in the upper left of Figure 15, the number of meters starts at one, which is the minimum number of meters that can be displayed on a multimeter, and is increased until it reaches eight, which is the maximum number of meters that can be displayed on a multimeter, as shown in the bottom center of Figure 15. When the number of meters decreases, the size and arrangement of the number of meters are changed in the opposite way to when the number of meters increases.

Here, (c) of FIG. 7 corresponds to the case where the meter number is 3 as in the upper right of the schematic diagram of FIG. 15. For example, the first meter when the meter number is 3 as in the upper right of FIG. 14 is the meter named "speed" in (B) of FIG. 7. Also, the second meter when the meter number is 3 as in the upper right of FIG. 14 is the meter named "engine RPM" in (C) of FIG.

First, when there is one meter, the diameter of the meter is made slightly shorter than the length of the short side of the touch panel 110 to display the meter large. Next, when there are two meters, a meter is added to the right side and displayed in one row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are three meters, the second meter is shifted downward to make the vertical positions of the meters different for each meter, and then the third meter is added to the right side, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are four meters, the meters are arranged in two rows and the left and right positions of each meter are shifted to partially overlap each row to display the meters in two rows and two columns, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, when there are five meters, three meters are arranged in the lower row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way fit on the screen. Next, if there are six meters, three more meters are placed on the top row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way will fit on the screen. Next, if there are seven meters, meters are added to the bottom row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way will fit on the screen. Next, if there are eight meters, meters are added to the top row, and the size of each meter is reduced so that the meters displayed in this way will fit on the screen.

In this way, depending on the number of multimeters, the size of each meter is changed and the relative positions of the meters are changed to change the layout of the meters. This makes it possible to make the size of each meter as large as possible and to make all meters viewable on one screen.

As described above with reference to Figures 14 and 15, in the case of a bar meter and a multimeter, when the number of meters increases, the control unit 101 not only adds meters, but also changes the layout of the meters and reduces the size of each meter so that the meters fit on the screen. Also, when the number of meters decreases, the control unit 101 not only deletes meters, but also changes the layout of the meters and increases the size of each meter so that the meters fit on the screen.

The following describes how the control unit 101 achieves this processing. The control unit 101 stores tables corresponding to each of the bar meter and multimeter. In this table, for each number of meters to be displayed, the coordinates of the center position of each meter corresponding to the arrangement corresponding to the number of meters to be displayed are stored in association with data specifying the size of the meter.

For bar meters, the data specifying the size of the meter is stored as the number of dots above and below the center coordinates (both will be the same number of dots for the same meter), and the number of dots to the left and right from the center coordinates (both will be the same number of dots for the same meter). In cases where there are five meters displayed, for example, the sizes of the meters vary, so the data specifying the size of the meter will also vary depending on the meter. For example, the data specifying the size of the meter for the first to third meters will be different from the data specifying the size of the fourth and fifth meters.

In the case of a multimeter, the number of dots in radius from the center coordinates is stored as data to specify the size of the meter.

Furthermore, the control unit 101 stores image data for the meter to be displayed when the number of meters displayed is one. When the number of meters displayed is two or more, the stored image data is reduced and displayed. Specifically, the meters are reduced and displayed so that they are the same size as the area specified by the coordinates of the center position of each meter and the data specifying the size of the meter, depending on the number of meters to be displayed.

By performing this processing, the control unit 101 displays the meters in a layout and size according to the number of meters to be displayed, as described with reference to Figures 14 and 15.

Next, in a multimeter, for example, when the number of meters is three, the vertical positions of the meters are shifted, and when the number of meters is three, the horizontal positions of the meters are shifted. The reason for this will be explained with reference to Figure 16.

In Figure 16, an example is shown in which there are three meters. As shown in the upper part of Figure 16 and in Figure 15, in this embodiment, the first meter and the third meter are in the same vertical position, but the second meter is in a different vertical position from the first meter and the third meter. On the other hand, the lower part of Figure 16 shows a case in which the vertical positions of the meters are not different in this way.

The size of the display area AR2 and the size of each meter are the same in the upper and lower parts of FIG. 16. However, while three meters fit within the display area AR2 in the upper part of FIG. 16, the three meters do not fit within the display area AR12 in the lower part of FIG. 16. Therefore, in order to be able to refer to all the meters in the lower part of FIG. 16, it becomes necessary to make the size of each meter smaller. Alternatively, it becomes necessary to make it possible to scroll the meter display screen left and right.

In this way, in this embodiment, the vertical position of each meter is shifted to make effective use of the display area AR12, allowing each meter to be displayed larger than if the vertical positions were not shifted, and all meters can be displayed on one screen without scrolling the screen.

<Multimeter>
Next, the multimeter in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 48. Note that the values displayed on each meter described below and the values used to calculate the displayed values can be obtained mainly by connecting the control unit 101 to an in-vehicle LAN constructed by connecting each sensor and an ECU via a communication line called a CAN bus via the OBD2 connector, as described above. Therefore, hereinafter, the information obtained in this manner will be described as being obtained from the in-vehicle LAN.

On the other hand, information such as acceleration information, GPS positioning information, or map information may be acquired from the acceleration sensor 102 or the GPS module 120, or may be stored in advance by the control unit 101. The source of such information will be explained below.

Figure 17 shows a first multimeter, a multimeter named "Speed". This multimeter has a circular gauge on the outer periphery that indicates the current speed. The circular gauge on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the speed increases.

The central section of the multimeter displays the current speed obtained from the in-car LAN, the distance traveled since the ignition was turned on (indicated as "IG-ON" in the diagram) obtained from the in-car LAN, and the driving time since the IG-ON was turned on (counted even when the vehicle is stopped) obtained from the in-car LAN. In addition, the bottom left of the multimeter is equipped with a warning display that lights up if the speed limit is exceeded on expressways or toll roads.

The user can set whether or not to turn on the lights. Whether or not the road is an expressway or a toll road can be determined by the control unit 101 storing map information and comparing the map information with the location information measured by the GPS module 120.

As can be seen from the following diagram, in this embodiment, even if the multimeters have the same circular gauges on the outer circumference, the starting and ending positions of the circular gauges are different depending on the multimeter. For example, since the starting point of a speedometer is often the 8 o'clock position, the first multimeter has the starting point at the 8 o'clock position so that the user does not feel uncomfortable, but the other meters do not necessarily start at the 8 o'clock position. In addition, the name of the multimeter is written in English at a different position for each multimeter. This is done with design in mind. However, the multimeters are given names in Japanese so that the user can easily remember the names of the multimeters. Then, on the multimeter list screen that is referred to when adding a multimeter, thumbnails of each multimeter are displayed with the Japanese name. The multimeter list screen will be explained after each multimeter is explained. In addition, different font sizes are used for the same numbers in each multimeter.

In addition, in the figures from FIG. 18 onwards, the information contained in the multimeter is written on the right side of the figure, just like in FIG. 17. Therefore, in the following explanation of the multimeter using FIG. 18 onwards, explanations that overlap with the right side of the figure will be omitted.

Figure 18 shows a second multimeter, a multimeter labeled "driving/stopping ratio." This multimeter has circular gauges on the outer periphery that indicate the driving ratio from IG-ON and the stopping ratio from IG-ON. By recording these ratios on one gauge, the user can easily compare the two ratios. These ratios can be calculated based on the driving time and stopping time obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. As the driving ratio increases, the scale on the gauge moves clockwise. Also, as the driving/stopping ratio increases, the scale on the gauge moves counterclockwise.

Figure 19 shows a third multimeter, a multimeter called "engine running ratio." In this multimeter, an instrument indicating the stopped ratio from IG-ON is placed inside an instrument indicating the engine running ratio from IG-ON. In other words, two instruments can be referenced with one meter. The engine running ratio from IG-ON is the ratio of the time the vehicle is running on the engine to the time the vehicle is running on the motor only or on both the motor and the engine. These ratios can be calculated based on the running time and engine running time obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. As either ratio increases, the scale in the instrument moves clockwise.

Figure 20 shows a fourth multimeter, a multimeter called "Eco Drive." This multimeter uses a radar chart to display eco-driving points calculated based on measurements obtained using OBD2 and other devices. These points increase when the user drives in a way that improves fuel efficiency. These points are calculated using a specified formula based on information obtained from the in-vehicle LAN.

Figure 21 shows a fifth multimeter, a multimeter called "relative intake manifold pressure." This multimeter shows the relative intake manifold pressure value, which indicates the pressure of the intake air by the vehicle, obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, and its maximum value. Since the relative intake manifold pressure value can be both positive and negative, the gauge is designed to show both. Starting from the zero value on the meter, the scale on the gauge moves clockwise as the positive value increases, and moves counterclockwise as the negative value increases.

Figure 22 shows a sixth multimeter, a multimeter called "boost pressure." This multimeter shows the boost pressure value, which indicates the pressure of the intake air by the vehicle, obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, and its maximum value. Since boost pressure values can be both positive and negative, the gauge is designed to show both. Starting from the zero value on the meter, the scale on the gauge moves clockwise as the positive value increases. As the negative value increases, the scale on the gauge moves counterclockwise.

The difference between this multimeter and the fifth multimeter is the meter scale. For cars with turbos, it is preferable to use a boost pressure meter. For cars without turbos, it is preferable to use relative intake manifold pressure, as the positive side of the gauge will be left over when using a boost pressure meter.

Figure 23 shows a seventh multimeter called "Reminder: Remaining days". This multimeter shows the number of days remaining until the time for replacement of items that need to be replaced. When the user replaces these items, input to that effect is accepted and stored by the control unit 101. The control unit 101 then calculates the number of remaining days based on a clock running inside the terminal 100 and displays it on the multimeter. By having the control unit 101 store the user's settings, this multimeter can also light up a lamp when the number of remaining days for any item becomes 0.

Figure 24 shows an eighth multimeter called "Reminder: Remaining Distance". This multimeter shows the remaining distance until the replacement time for items that need to be replaced. When the user replaces these items, the control unit 101 accepts input that the replacement has been performed and stores it. The control unit 101 then calculates the remaining number of days based on the mileage and other information obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, and displays it on the multimeter. With this multimeter, the control unit 101 can also light up a lamp when the remaining number of days for any item becomes 0 by storing the user's setting of whether or not to turn on the lamp.

Figure 25 shows a ninth multimeter, a multimeter named "fuel economy 1". This multimeter shows values related to fuel economy calculated based on measurements obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Instantaneous fuel economy is a value calculated five times per second. In the circular gauge placed on the outside of this multimeter, the scale inside the gauge moves clockwise as the instantaneous fuel economy increases. Current fuel economy is the fuel economy from when the engine is started until the engine is stopped, and lifetime fuel economy is the fuel economy from when fuel economy calculation begins. In the circular gauge placed on the outside of this multimeter, the gauge showing lifetime fuel economy is placed outside the instantaneous fuel economy, and the scale inside the gauge moves clockwise as the lifetime fuel economy increases. In this multimeter, the control unit 101 stores the user's setting of whether to turn on the lamp, so that the lamp can be turned on when the instantaneous fuel economy is good.

Figure 26 shows a multimeter named "fuel economy 2" as the tenth multimeter. This multimeter shows a value related to fuel economy calculated based on measurements obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Specifically, it includes three gauges so that fuel economy on expressways and toll roads can be compared with fuel economy on other general roads. In each gauge, the scale moves clockwise as fuel economy improves. Whether or not the road is an expressway or a toll road can be determined by the control unit 101 storing map information and comparing the map information with position information measured by the GPS module 120. If the road is not determined to be an expressway or a toll road, it can be determined to be a general road. In this multimeter, the control unit 101 can store a user's setting for whether or not to turn on the lamp, and can turn on the lamp when the instantaneous fuel economy is good.

Figure 27 shows an eleventh multimeter, a multimeter called "moving average fuel consumption." This multimeter displays values related to fuel consumption calculated based on measurements obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. It also displays fuel consumption for every 2 kilometers traveled in units of 0.25 liters as a bar graph. One square on the vertical axis represents 0.25 liters, and one square on the horizontal axis represents 2 kilometers.

Figure 28 shows a twelfth multimeter, a multimeter named "Fuel Flow Rate". This multimeter displays the fuel flow rate obtained from the in-vehicle LAN in a bar graph in units of 0.20 liters. One square on the vertical axis represents 0.20 liters, and one square on the horizontal axis represents one minute. Depending on the type of car, fuel may not be supplied in certain conditions. The control unit 101 can store the user's settings for whether or not to turn on the lamp, and can turn on the lamp in such cases.

Figure 29 shows a thirteenth multimeter, a multimeter named "Fuel Level". In this multimeter, the remaining fuel is a value that indicates the remaining fuel in the fuel tank of the vehicle, obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The fuel level is a value that indicates the maximum capacity of the fuel tank and the percentage of the remaining fuel. For example, in the example of Figure 29, the remaining fuel indicates that the fuel tank is at 15% of its maximum capacity. In the circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter, the scale indicates F at the 9 o'clock position when the remaining fuel is 100%, and the scale inside the gauge moves counterclockwise as the remaining fuel decreases.

Figure 30 shows a multimeter named "fuel consumption" as the 14th multimeter. This multimeter shows values related to fuel consumption calculated based on fuel consumption and driving time obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Current fuel consumption is fuel consumed in the current drive. Lifetime fuel consumption is fuel consumed since connecting to OBD2. Here, the current drive refers to, for example, driving that started from the last time IG-ON was turned on and has continued up to the present time. Fuel consumption is fuel consumed since connecting to OBD2, but the value can be cleared by user operation. MAF is a value indicating the amount of air supplied to the engine obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. INJ is a value indicating how long fuel has been injected into the engine obtained from the in-vehicle LAN.

Figure 31 shows a fifteenth multimeter, a multimeter labeled "Engine Water Temperature." This multimeter not only displays the current measured engine water temperature obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, but also displays both the current measured engine water temperature and the highest previous engine water temperature side-by-side in the center of the multimeter so that they can be compared. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the current engine water temperature rises.

Figure 32 shows a multimeter labeled "intake temperature" as the 16th multimeter. This multimeter not only indicates the current measured engine intake temperature obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, but also displays both the current measured engine intake temperature and the highest previous engine intake temperature side-by-side in the center of the multimeter so that both values can be compared. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the current intake temperature rises.

Figure 33 shows a multimeter labeled "Outside Temperature" as the 17th multimeter. This multimeter not only displays the current measured outside temperature obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, but also displays both the current measured outside temperature and the highest intake temperature in the past side-by-side in the center of the multimeter so that both values can be compared. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the current outside temperature rises.

Figure 34 shows the 18th multimeter, a multimeter labeled "Engine Oil Temperature." This multimeter not only displays the current measured engine oil temperature obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, but also displays both the current measured engine oil temperature and the highest previous engine oil temperature side-by-side in the center of the multimeter so that they can be compared. The scale on the circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter moves clockwise as the current engine oil temperature rises.

Figure 35 shows a 19th multimeter, a multimeter labeled "Throttle Opening". This multimeter not only displays the current throttle opening measured via the in-vehicle LAN, but also displays the current throttle opening, the maximum throttle opening measured during the current drive, and the average throttle opening measured during the current drive side-by-side in the center of the multimeter so that these three values can be compared. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the current throttle opening increases.

Figure 36 shows a multimeter named "Engine Load" as the 20th multimeter. This multimeter not only displays the measured current engine load obtained from the in-vehicle LAN on the instrument, but also displays the measured current engine load, the maximum engine load measured during the current run, and the average engine load measured during the current run side-by-side in the center of the multimeter so that these three values can be compared. In the circular instrument located on the outside of this multimeter, the scale inside the instrument moves clockwise as the current engine load increases. The engine load increases when the car is going uphill, and decreases when the car is going downhill. The control unit 101 stores the user's setting of whether or not to turn on the lamp, so that the lamp can be turned on when the engine load exceeds the set value.

Figure 37 shows a multimeter named "Engine RPM" as the 21st multimeter. This multimeter not only shows the measured engine RPM obtained from the in-vehicle LAN as an indicator and value, but also displays other information related to engine RPM obtained from the in-vehicle LAN in a line in the center of the multimeter. In the circular indicator placed on the outside of this multimeter, the scale inside the indicator moves clockwise as the current engine RPM increases. By storing the user's setting of whether or not to turn on the lamp in the control unit 101, it is also possible to turn on the lamp when the engine RPM is within the set zone. Being within the set zone means that the engine RPM is appropriate, so it is preferable for the user to drive so that the lamp remains on.

Figure 38 shows a multimeter named "Hybrid (in the following description and drawings, it is referred to as "HV") motor power" as the 22nd multimeter. This multimeter numerically indicates four values obtained from the in-vehicle LAN of the hybrid vehicle: rear motor output, front motor output, engine and motor combined output, and rear motor torque distribution in the torque distribution ratio of the front motor and rear motor. It also indicates three values: rear motor output, front motor output, and engine and motor combined output, with circular gauges. In these three circular gauges located on the outside of this multimeter, the scales inside the gauges move clockwise as the corresponding values of each gauge increase. In addition, in the gauge located at the bottom of this multimeter, the scales inside the gauges move clockwise starting from the 6 o'clock position as the front torque increases, and move counterclockwise as the rear torque decreases.

Figure 39 shows a 23rd multimeter, a multimeter named "HV engine power". This multimeter shows the power of the HV engine, not including the power of the gasoline engine, i.e., the motor output obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise starting from the 9 o'clock position as the HV engine power increases, and moves counterclockwise as the HV engine power decreases due to regenerative power, etc. The control unit 101 can store a user's setting of whether or not to turn on the lamp, so that the lamp can be turned on when the HV engine power exceeds the set value.

Figure 40 shows the 24th multimeter, a multimeter named "HV accelerator opening." This multimeter shows the amount of accelerator depression of the HV vehicle obtained from the in-vehicle LAN as the HV accelerator opening. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the amount of accelerator depression of the HV vehicle increases.

Figure 41 shows the 25th multimeter, a multimeter named "HV Air Conditioner Power Consumption." This multimeter shows the current power consumption of the air conditioner in a HV vehicle, obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the current power consumption of the air conditioner in the HV vehicle increases. In gasoline vehicles, the current power consumption of the air conditioner may not be measured, so the current power consumption of the air conditioner is output only for HV vehicles.

Figure 42 shows the 26th multimeter, a multimeter labeled "HV generator power generation." This multimeter shows the power generation amount of the HV vehicle's charging generator obtained from the in-vehicle LAN as the HV generator power generation amount. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter has a scale that moves clockwise as the current power consumption of the HV generator power generation amount increases.

Figure 43 shows a multimeter named "HV Glide" as the 27th multimeter. This multimeter displays a positive value when the HV vehicle is driven by the motor or engine, and a negative value when the vehicle is regenerating power, based on values obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. A glide value of zero indicates that the vehicle is neither accelerating nor decelerating. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter starts at the 9 o'clock position when the value is zero, and the scale inside the gauge moves clockwise as the HV glide value increases, and moves counterclockwise as the HV glide value decreases. The control unit 101 can also light up the lamp when the glide value is zero by storing the user's setting of whether or not to turn on the lamp.

Figure 44 shows a multimeter named "HV current power ratio" as the 28th multimeter. This multimeter shows the ratio of the engine only or engine + motor power in the current run, the motor power ratio in the current run, and the coasting power ratio in the current run as ratios related to the current power of the HV vehicle. These ratios are calculated based on the engine power and motor power values obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. By recording the engine only or engine + motor power ratio in the current run and the motor power ratio in the current run on one instrument, the user can easily compare the two ratios. These ratios start from 12 and the scale on the instrument moves clockwise as the engine only or engine + motor power ratio in the current run increases. Also, the scale on the instrument moves counterclockwise as the motor power ratio in the current run increases.

Figure 45 shows a 29th multimeter, a multimeter named "HV battery current". This multimeter shows the charging and discharging current value of the HV battery obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The circular gauge located on the outside of this multimeter starts at the 12 o'clock position when the value is zero, and the scale inside the gauge moves clockwise as the charging and discharging current value of the HV battery increases, and moves counterclockwise as the charging and discharging current value of the HV battery decreases. In addition, the control unit 101 can store the user's setting of whether or not to turn on the lamp, so that the lamp can be turned on when the vehicle is driven by the engine only or the engine + motor.

Figure 46 shows the 30th multimeter, a multimeter named "longitudinal acceleration". In this multimeter, the longitudinal acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 102 is obtained from the acceleration sensor 102, and the acceleration on the accelerating side is shown as a positive value, and the acceleration on the decelerating side is shown as a negative value. There are different ways of displaying this on the instrument, but when accelerating, G moves in the rearward direction of the car, so the scale on the instrument moves downward. Conversely, when decelerating, G moves in the forward direction of the car, so the scale on the instrument moves upward.

Figure 47 shows a 31st multimeter, a multimeter named "left-right acceleration". In this multimeter, the left-right acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 102 is obtained from the acceleration sensor 102, and the right-side acceleration is shown as a positive value, and the left-side acceleration is shown as a negative value. As for the method of display on the instrument, the right-side acceleration is shown by moving the scale of the instrument to the right. Conversely, the left-side acceleration is shown by moving the scale of the instrument to the left.

Figure 48 shows a multimeter named "tilt angle" as the 32nd multimeter. This multimeter shows the current forward/backward tilt and left/right tilt of the vehicle based on values measured by the acceleration sensor 102 obtained from the acceleration sensor 102. The pitch gauge, which is an instrument located in the center, displays the value as zero when the vehicle is not tilted up or down, and when the vehicle is tilted upward, the scale of the instrument moves downward. Conversely, when the vehicle is tilted downward, the pitch gauge moves the scale of the instrument upward and rotates in accordance with the left/right tilt.

This is the display method for the roll cage, an instrument located in the center. When the car is not tilted to the left or right, the value is set to zero, with the starting point being the 3 o'clock position on the right instrument and the 9 o'clock position on the left instrument. When the car is tilted to the right, the scale on the right instrument moves upward and the scale on the left instrument moves downward. Conversely, when the car is tilted to the left, the scale on the right instrument moves downward and the scale on the left instrument moves upward.

Each of the multi-monitors in this embodiment has been described above. Here, the meter selection screen when a meter is added in step S19 has been described with reference to (3-2) in FIG. 11. In this regard, the meter selection screen that displays the name of the item displayed by the meter as in (3-2) in FIG. 11 is the case for simple meters and bar meters. In the case of a multi-meter, the meter selection screen is not the name of the item displayed by the meter, but the name of the meter itself and a thumbnail display of a cut-out portion of the meter. The meter selection screen for a multi-meter is shown in FIG. 49 and FIG. 50. Here, the meter selection screen for a multi-meter scrolls. Therefore, the image of the top screen that is displayed first is shown as (6-1). Then, (6-2) to (6-6) are shown in the order in which the screen scrolls downwards from (6-1).

As shown in (6-1) to (6-6), a name written in Japanese is assigned to each multimeter, and this is displayed as the heading of each multimeter. The thumbnail image of each multimeter displayed is a cut-out of a part of each multimeter, but is cut out so as to include the name of the multimeter written in English contained within the meter. Since the position of the multimeter name written in English differs for each meter, the cut-out part differs for each multimeter. This allows the user to identify each multimeter not only by the name of the multimeter, but also by the position where the name is written and the design of the multimeter itself. In this embodiment, the color of each multimeter is the same, so it is not possible to identify each meter by the color. Therefore, by making the position where the name is written different in this way, it is made easier to identify.

<SP meter>
Next, the details of the SP meter will be described with reference to Fig. 51. Fig. 51 is a diagram showing the SP meter displayed in the display area AR2 of the touch panel 110. As shown in Fig. 51, the SP meter includes 20 gauges or value displays, from circle 1 to circle 20. The details of these will be described. Note that the information displayed by these gauges is the same as the information of the same name displayed by the multimeter.

Circle 1 is a pitch gauge based on the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 102, and is an instrument that shows the same content as the pitch gauge in the 32nd multimeter shown in Figure 48. Circle 1 rotates in accordance with the left and right tilt.

Circle 2 is a roll gauge based on the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 102, and is an instrument that shows the same content as the roll gauge in the 32nd multimeter shown in Figure 48.

Circle 3 is an instrument that indicates the longitudinal acceleration obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. As with the 30th multimeter in Figure 46, longitudinal acceleration is indicated with a positive value for acceleration and a negative value for deceleration. Circle 4 is an instrument that indicates the engine RPM. Circle 5 is an instrument that indicates the vehicle speed.

The circle 6 is an instrument that shows the ratio of driving time for each vehicle speed during this trip. Specifically, vehicle speed is divided into six categories: 1-20km, 21-40km, 41-60km, 61-80km, 81-100km, and control section 101km or higher, and the ratio of time spent driving at each speed category is shown.

The circle 7 indicates the driving time, which is the actual driving time since the start of this trip, obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, and the driving time, which is the actual driving time since the start of this trip plus the time the vehicle was stopped.

Circle 8 indicates the idling stop time, which is the cumulative value of the time that idling has stopped since the start of this drive, obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, and the number of times that idling has stopped since the start of this drive.

The circle 9 indicates various temperatures obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Specifically, "Outside" indicates the outside air temperature. Also, "Intake Air" indicates the intake air temperature. Furthermore, "Water" indicates the cooling water temperature. Furthermore, "Engine Oil" indicates the engine oil temperature.

The circle 10 indicates the mileage obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Specifically, "Now" indicates the mileage of the current trip. "ODO" indicates the lifetime mileage. The lifetime mileage is, for example, the mileage after connecting to OBD2. "Trip" indicates the value of the trip meter. The trip meter is reset by the user's operation received in step S22.

Circle 11 is an instrument that shows the current relative intake manifold pressure obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Circle 11 also shows the maximum relative intake manifold pressure with a triangular arrow.

Circle 12 is an instrument that indicates the ignition timing of the engine spark plug, obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Circle 12 also indicates the maximum ignition timing value with a triangular arrow.

Circle 13 is an instrument that shows the current engine load obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The engine load increases when the car is going uphill, and decreases when the car is going downhill.

Circle 14 is an instrument that shows the fuel level obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The fuel level is a value that represents the maximum capacity of the fuel tank and the percentage of remaining fuel.

Circle 15 is an instrument that shows the instantaneous fuel consumption obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. Also, circle 12 shows the lifetime fuel consumption obtained from the in-vehicle LAN with a triangular arrow.

Circle 16 is an instrument that shows the moving average fuel consumption obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The method of expressing the moving average fuel consumption in circle 16 is the same as that of the 11th multimeter in FIG. 27. Circle 16 shows the fuel consumption per 2 km section, and one square on the horizontal axis represents 2 km, so the instrument does not change unless 2 km is driven. However, if the instrument does not change at all during the 2 km drive, it will not attract the user's interest and it will be unimpressive. Therefore, in circle 16, the value shown on the instrument does not change during the 2 km drive, but a movement is forcibly created by lighting up the squares in the instrument. In other words, the SP meter is configured to change in conjunction with the driver's operation, but for meters that move very little, a mechanism is devised to create a forced movement.

Circle 17 is an instrument that shows the fuel flow rate obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The method of expressing the fuel flow rate in circle 17 is the same as that of the 12th multimeter in Figure 28.

Circle 18 is an instrument that displays the battery voltage obtained from the in-vehicle LAN in a graph format. If the vehicle connected to the terminal 100 is an HV, circle 18 displays the "HV auxiliary battery voltage." On the other hand, if the vehicle is not an HV, it displays a "voltmeter."

Circle 19 is an instrument that shows the acceleration vector calculated based on the acceleration obtained from the acceleration sensor 102, and shows the acceleration of the vehicle in the forward, backward, left and right directions as a vector.

The circle 20 is a GPS sky map, which measures and displays the relative position of the vehicle and the satellites from which the GPS module 120 can receive GPS signals. When the vehicle is moving, the circle 20 rotates in the direction of travel.

In this way, the SP meter displays all of these different items on a single screen, allowing the user to obtain a wide variety of information on a single screen. In addition, the layout of each piece of information on the SP meter is fixed, which is advantageous in that the user does not need to edit it.

The above terminal can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. The meter display method performed by the above terminal can also be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. Here, "realized by software" means that it is realized by a computer reading and executing a program.

The program can be stored and provided to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R/W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)).

Although the above-mentioned embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the terminal 100 may further include a car navigation function. The car navigation function and the meter display function may be switchable. In this case, it is advantageous because the car navigation function and the meter display function can share a single piece of map information.

For example, in addition to an acceleration sensor, other sensors such as an angular velocity sensor may also be used.

For example, the information required to display various meters may be obtained by installing new sensors or other methods rather than using OBD2.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, four display methods are switched between, but it is not necessary to provide four display methods. For example, it is also possible to provide only a multimeter as a display method.

100 Terminal 101 Control unit 102 Acceleration sensor 110 Touch panel 120 GPS module 130 Volume adjustment button 140 Power button 150 Camera 160 MicroSD card insertion port 170 Mini USB terminal 180 Cradle joint hole 190 Built-in speaker 200 Cradle 201 Protrusion 202 Removal button 210 Suction plate 300 OBD2 adapter

Claims (4)

A function of displaying one or more meters in a display area for displaying meters in a display unit,
a function of displaying the one or more meters in a size and position corresponding to the number and type of meters to be displayed in the display area;
When bar meters, which are rectangular meters that display information combining numbers and bars in the display area, are arranged in multiple rows, the number of bar meters arranged in a first row located on the windshield side of the vehicle is greater than the number of bar meters arranged in a second row different from the first row. The types of the meter include a circular meter and a bar meter,
The system according to claim 1 , wherein the function of displaying the meter is to display a different display screen for displaying the circular meter and a different display screen for displaying the bar meter. Further, the type of the meter includes a simple meter, which is a rectangular meter that displays a numerical value but does not display a bar.
The function of displaying the meter includes differentiating a display screen for displaying a circular meter, a display screen for displaying the bar meter, and a display screen for displaying the simple meter,
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the display function, when displaying the simple meters, makes the sizes of the simple meters the same regardless of the number of the simple meters. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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