JP7601613B2 - Display device and drive control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a display device and a drive control method.

Conventionally, information displays that are placed in the center of a vehicle's instrument panel are known. In recent years, the applications of information displays have expanded to meters and the like, and the amount of information they can display has increased.

As the amount of information increases, proposals have been made to enlarge the information display horizontally, or to arrange multiple small information displays side by side. It has even been proposed to enlarge the information display to the point where occupants cannot see outside the vehicle.

JP 2018-95085 A

However, with conventional technology, it can be difficult to flexibly arrange the display according to the aspect of the image to be displayed. For example, with the technology described in Cited Document 1, when displaying a portrait image, areas on the display may be left blank. Such areas are not only not useful to the occupants, but may also obstruct their view.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to flexibly arrange displays according to the aspect of the image to be displayed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the display device according to the present invention has a display control unit and a drive control unit. The display control unit displays an image on the display unit, at least a portion of which can be stored in a storage unit provided in the vehicle. The drive control unit drives the display unit by vertical movement and rotation, thereby varying an exposed area, which is an area of the area where an image is displayed on the display unit that is not stored in the storage unit.

The present invention allows displays to be flexibly arranged according to the type of image to be displayed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the drive of the roll mechanism. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the vertical movement of the display. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the rotation of the display. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the roll mechanism. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the roll mechanism. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the roll mechanism. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the vertical movement of the display. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process executed by the display device according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of the display device and drive control method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

First, an overview of the display device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the display device according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the display device 10 is provided in the passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the display device 10 is provided on the upper part of the instrument panel 3. The installation position of the display device 10 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1.

The display device 10 displays information related to the car navigation system and the audio system. The display device 10 may also display information related to the vehicle 1, such as various meters. The display device 10 may also be equipped with a touch panel.

Here, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined as shown in Figure 1. That is, the positive direction of the X-axis (hereinafter simply referred to as the "X-axis direction") is the rightward direction when facing the direction of travel of the vehicle. The positive direction of the Y-axis (hereinafter simply referred to as the "Y-axis direction") is the direction of travel of the vehicle. The positive direction of the Z-axis (hereinafter simply referred to as the "Z-axis direction") is the upward direction when facing the direction of travel of the vehicle.

In the method of the embodiment, the display device 10 displays an image on a display unit at least a portion of which can be stored in a storage unit provided in the vehicle 1. In addition, in the method of the embodiment, the display device 10 drives the display unit by vertical movement and rotation, thereby varying an exposed area, which is an area of the area where the image is displayed on the display unit that is not stored in the storage unit.

This prevents areas of the display that are not showing an image from being an eyesore or obstructing your view.

Here, the display unit, which is a unit integrated with the display for displaying the screen of the display device 10, can move up and down and rotate. The rotation is achieved by a drive unit that functions as a roll mechanism. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the drive of the roll mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive unit 12 housed in the base chassis 20 rotates (rolls) the display unit 11 on a rotation axis 12a that is perpendicular to the display surface. This allows the drive unit 12 to change the orientation of the display unit 11 from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation.

A portrait orientation is a state in which the short side of the rectangular area in which the screen is displayed is parallel to the X-axis. A landscape orientation is a state in which the long side of the rectangular area in which the screen is displayed is parallel to the X-axis.

Figure 3 is a diagram explaining the up and down movement of the display. As shown in Figure 3, the display unit 11 is driven via the drive unit 12 to move between a position where it is completely exposed from the storage unit 30 provided in the vehicle 1 and a position where it is completely covered by the storage unit 30.

The exposed area 11a is an area that is not stored in the storage section 30. The storage section 30 is a space provided below the upper line 3a of the instrument panel 3 (in the negative direction of the Z axis).

As shown in FIG. 3, the exposed area 11a changes in accordance with the vertical movement of the display unit 11. The method for driving the display unit 11 up and down may be the method described in the cited document 1.

Figure 4 is a diagram explaining the rotation of the display. As shown in Figure 4, the drive unit 12 can transition the state of the display unit 11 between portrait and landscape orientations by rotating the display unit 11 by 90 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 4, by performing the rotation operation inside the storage section 30 of the instrument panel 3, it is possible to prevent the operation from being hindered by contact with an occupant, etc.

Here, we will explain the roll mechanism realized by the drive unit 12. Figures 5 to 7 are diagrams showing examples of the configuration of the roll mechanism. These figures show the configuration of the drive unit 12 as viewed from the rear side of the display unit 11 (the positive side of the Y axis). Figure 5 shows the vertical position. Meanwhile, Figures 6 and 7 show the state in which the drive unit 12 has rotated the display unit 11 from the vertical position. For the sake of convenience in explanation, some components are shown in a see-through manner in these figures.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drive unit 12 includes a base plate 121 that serves as a reference member arranged parallel to the display surface of the display unit 11. The display surface of the display unit 11 and the base plate 121 will be described as being parallel to a plane defined by the left-right direction (X-axis direction) and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction).

The drive unit 12 is disposed parallel to the display surface of the display unit 11 and includes a turntable 111 fixed to the display unit 11. The turntable 111 is rotatably connected to a base plate 121 via a rotation shaft 12a. When the turntable 111 rotates, the display unit 11 rotates relative to the base plate 121.

The turntable 111 has three holding shafts 111a, 111b, and 111c located relatively far from the rotating shaft 12a, and one action shaft 111s located relatively close to the rotating shaft 12a. The three holding shafts 111a, 111b, and 111c are fitted into three guide grooves 121a that are provided in an arc shape on the base plate 121. This prevents the turntable 111 from coming off the base plate 121.

The action shaft 111s close to the rotation shaft 12a also fits into a guide groove 121s that is provided in an arc shape on the base plate 121, and can move along the guide groove 121s. Because the base plate 121 determines the direction of the rotation shaft 12a, the position of the rotation shaft 12a relative to the base plate 121 is constant. Therefore, by moving the position of this action shaft 111s and changing the relative position between the rotation shaft 12a and the action shaft 111s, the turntable 111 can be rotated relative to the base plate 121.

The drive unit 12 also has two sliders 122 and 123 that move linearly relative to the base plate 121.

The first slider 122 has three shafts 122b. The three shafts 122b fit into three guide grooves 121b along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) provided in the base plate 121. Therefore, the first slider 122 is movable relative to the base plate 121 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) along the three guide grooves 121b.

The second slider 123 also has three shafts 123a, 123b. The three shafts 123a, 123b fit into three guide grooves 121c along the left-right direction (X-axis direction) provided in the base plate 121. Therefore, the second slider 123 is movable relative to the base plate 121 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) along the three guide grooves 121c.

The first slider 122 also has a guide groove 122a. This guide groove 122a is generally inclined with respect to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). However, both ends of the guide groove 122a extend along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). One shaft (hereinafter referred to as the "driven shaft") 123a of the second slider 123 fits into this guide groove 122a. Therefore, the driven shaft 123a fits into both the guide groove 121c of the base plate 121 and the guide groove 122a of the first slider 122.

The second slider 123 also has a guide groove 123s along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The action shaft 111s of the turntable 111 fits into this guide groove 123s. Therefore, the action shaft 111s fits into both the guide groove 121s of the base plate 121 and the guide groove 123s of the second slider 123.

When the first slider 122 moves, the driven shaft 123a that fits into the guide groove 122a of the first slider 122 moves. This movement of the driven shaft 123a moves the second slider 123. When the second slider 123 moves, the action shaft 111s that fits into the guide groove 123s of the second slider 123 moves. This movement of the action shaft 111s rotates the turntable 111 relative to the base plate 121. That is, the display unit 11 rotates relative to the base plate 121.

For example, when the first slider 122 moves downward (in the negative direction of the Z axis) from the vertical position shown in FIG. 5, the driven shaft 123a moves to the left in the figure (X axis direction) along the two guide grooves 121c, 122a as shown in FIG. 6. This causes the second slider 123 to also move to the left in the figure (X axis direction). This movement of the second slider 123 causes the action shaft 111s to move in an arc in the clockwise direction in the figure along the two guide grooves 121s, 123s. As a result, the display unit 11 rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure on the rotation axis 12a relative to the base plate 121.

When the first slider 122 moves further downward (in the negative direction of the Z axis) from the state shown in FIG. 6, the driven shaft 123a, the second slider 123, and the action shaft 111s move further as shown in FIG. 7. As a result, the display unit 11 rotates 90 degrees clockwise in the figure around the rotation axis 12a from the vertical position to a horizontal position in which the longitudinal direction of the display surface is aligned with the left-right direction (X-axis direction). When the display unit 11 is in this horizontal position, the engagement groove 122d formed at the lower end of the first slider 122 engages with one of the holding shafts 111b of the turntable 111. This locks the turntable 111, and the horizontal position of the display unit 11 is maintained.

Conversely, when the first slider 122 moves upward (in the Z-axis direction) from the horizontal position shown in FIG. 7, the driven shaft 123a moves to the right in the figure (negative direction of the X-axis) along the two guide grooves 121c, 122a as shown in FIG. 6. This causes the second slider 123 to also move to the right in the figure (in the X-axis direction). This movement of the second slider 123 causes the action shaft 111s to move in an arc counterclockwise in the figure along the two guide grooves 121s, 123s. As a result, the display unit 11 rotates counterclockwise in the figure on the rotation axis 12a relative to the base plate 121.

When the first slider 122 moves further upward (in the Z-axis direction) from the state shown in FIG. 6, the driven shaft 123a, the second slider 123, and the action shaft 111s move further as shown in FIG. 5. As a result, the display unit 11 returns to a vertical position in which the short side of the display surface is aligned with the left-right direction (X-axis direction). When the display unit 11 assumes the vertical position in this way, the engagement groove 122c formed at the upper end of the first slider 122 engages with one of the holding shafts 111a of the turntable 111. This locks the turntable 111, and the vertical position of the display unit 11 is maintained.

The drive unit 12 also includes a motor 129 that serves as a drive source for generating a drive force, and a number of gears 124 that transmit the drive force of the motor 129. The motor 129 and the number of gears 124 are disposed on the base plate 121.

The first slider 122 also has a rack gear 122g that extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). One of the multiple gears 124 is engaged with this rack gear 122g. Therefore, the driving force of the motor 129 is transmitted to the first slider 122 via the multiple gears 124. When the motor 129 rotates, the first slider 122 moves in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) along the three guide grooves 121b.

The drive unit 12 also has two position switches 128a, 128b for detecting the attitude of the display unit 11 changed by the drive unit 12. One of the two, the upper position switch 128a, is disposed on the upper part of the base plate 121. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper position switch 128a comes into contact with a part of the first slider 122 that has moved to the upper end of its movable range and is turned on. As a result, the upper position switch 128a detects that the attitude of the display unit 11 is in the vertical position.

The other lower position switch 128b is disposed at the bottom of the base plate 121. As shown in FIG. 7, the lower position switch 128b comes into contact with a part of the first slider 122 that has moved to the bottom end of its movable range and is turned on. As a result, the lower position switch 128b detects that the position of the display unit 11 is in the horizontal position.

Figure 8 is a diagram explaining the up and down movement of the display. As shown in Figure 8, the display unit 11 is driven in the same way in the vertical position as in the horizontal position. In other words, the display unit 11 is driven via the drive unit 12 to move between a position where it is completely exposed from the storage unit 30 provided in the vehicle 1 and a position where it is completely covered by the storage unit 30.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a display device according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the display device 10 has a display unit 11, a drive unit 12, a memory unit 13, and a control unit 14.

The display unit 11 has a display that displays images. The drive unit 12 drives the display unit 11 by moving it up and down and rotating it.

The memory unit 13 and the control unit 14 of the display device 10 are realized by a computer having, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, input/output ports, etc., or various circuits.

The storage unit 13 corresponds to a RAM or a flash memory. The RAM or the flash memory can store information about various programs, etc.

The display device 10 may also acquire the above-mentioned programs and various information via other computers or portable recording media connected via a wired or wireless network.

The computer's CPU functions as the display control unit 141 and drive control unit 142 of the control unit 14, for example, by reading and executing a program stored in the ROM.

The display control unit 141 displays an image on the display unit 11, at least a portion of which can be stored in the storage unit 30 provided in the vehicle 1.

The drive control unit 142 drives the display unit 11 by moving it up and down and rotating it, thereby varying the exposed area 11a, which is the area that is not stored in the storage unit 30 among the areas where the image on the display unit 11 is displayed.

The drive control unit 142 drives the display unit 11 via the drive unit 12, which realizes a rolling mechanism, etc.

The drive control unit 142 drives the display unit 11 according to the content and amount of information shown in the image displayed by the display control unit 141.

For example, if only one line of text is displayed in the image, the drive control unit 142 drives the display unit 11 so that the exposed area 11a is the minimum size necessary to make the text visible.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 moves backwards, an image showing the rear of the vehicle 1 may be displayed by the display control unit 141 (a so-called rear monitor). In this case, the drive control unit 142 moves the display unit 11 upward so that the exposed area 11a is maximized.

This is because, for convenience and safety reasons, it is desirable for the image on the rearview monitor to be displayed as large as possible.

For example, when the display unit 11 is in a portrait orientation and the image displayed by the display control unit 141 is a landscape image, the drive control unit 142 rotates the display unit 11 to a landscape orientation. Conversely, when the display unit 11 is in a landscape orientation and the image displayed by the display control unit 141 is a portrait image, the drive control unit 142 rotates the display unit 11 to a portrait orientation.

In this way, the drive control unit 142 drives the display unit 11 so that the exposed area 11a has a size corresponding to the display mode of the image displayed by the display control unit 141. In this case, the display mode corresponds to the size of the image, whether it is vertical or horizontal, etc.

This allows the display device 10 to adjust the exposed area 11a to an optimal size that allows the information to be viewed without obstructing the field of view.

The display unit 11 may be configured so that it can be manually driven by the occupant. For example, the occupant can move the display unit 11 up and down by pushing it down or pulling it up with their hand.

Then, the display control unit 141 changes the size of the image to match the size of the exposed area 11a after the occupant manually drives the display unit 11. In this way, the display control unit 141 changes the display mode of the image to be displayed on the display unit 11 according to the size of the exposed area 11a.

This allows the driver to select the display size according to the content and amount of information displayed, preventing displays that are distracting to the eye while driving.

In addition, depending on the size of the exposed area 11a, it may block the field of vision of the driver of the vehicle 1. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is traveling, the drive control unit 142 drives the display unit 11 so that the exposed area 11a does not block the field of vision of the driver of the vehicle 1. This ensures safety while driving.

For example, the drive control unit 142 may drive the display unit 11 within a range that satisfies the technical standards for direct forward visibility established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
References: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Notification on the Details of Safety Standards for Road Transport Vehicles [2003.09.26] Attachment 29 (Technical Standards for Direct Forward Visibility) <https://www.mlit.go.jp/jidosha/>

However, when the vehicle 1 is performing autonomous driving, particularly equivalent to autonomous driving level 5, the display unit 11 may move to a range that blocks the driver's field of vision. In this case, when the vehicle 1 is being driven manually, the drive control unit 142 limits the drive range of the display unit 11 so that the exposed area 11a does not block the field of vision of the driver of the vehicle 1, and when the vehicle 1 is being driven autonomously, the drive control unit 142 releases the restriction on the drive range of the display unit 11.

The restrictions may also be lifted when the vehicle 1 is stopped. This allows users to view information-rich displays and videos on a large screen that blocks the view when the vehicle is stopped or in autonomous driving mode.

The procedure of the process executed by the display device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process executed by the display device according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, first, the display device 10 checks whether the display mode of the image displayed on the display (display unit) has been changed (step S101).

If the display mode of the image displayed on the display is changed (step S101: Yes), the display device 10 drives the display and changes the size of the exposed area according to the display mode of the image (step S102).

On the other hand, if the image display mode has not been changed (step S101: No), the display device 10 checks whether the display has been manually driven (step S103).

If the display is driven manually (step S103: Yes), the display device 10 changes the display mode of the image according to the size of the exposed area after driving (step S104). If the display is driven manually (step S103: No), the display device 10 ends the process.

In this way, the display device 10 has a display control unit 141 and a drive control unit 142. The display control unit 141 displays an image on the display unit 11, at least a portion of which can be stored in the storage unit 30 provided in the vehicle 1. The drive control unit 142 drives the display unit 11 by vertical movement and rotation, thereby varying the exposed area 11a, which is the area that is not stored in the storage unit 30 among the area in which the image of the display unit 11 is displayed.

As described above, the display unit 11 can not only move up and down but also rotate. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the display can be flexibly positioned according to the aspect of the image to be displayed.

In addition, in the past, it has been proposed to enlarge flat displays that do not show any information, or to arrange a large number of them in a row, but such proposals can spoil the interior design. In contrast, in this embodiment, there is a high degree of freedom in the placement of the displays, so that the interior design is not spoiled.

Further advantages and modifications may readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 2 vehicle interior 3 instrument panel 10 display device 11 display section 12 drive section 13 storage section 14 control section 20 base chassis 30 storage section 141 display control section 142 drive control section

Claims (4)

a display control unit that displays an image on a display unit at least a portion of which can be stored in a storage unit provided in the vehicle;
a drive control unit that drives the display unit by vertical movement and rotation to vary an exposed area, which is an area of an area where an image is displayed on the display unit that is not stored in the storage unit, so that the exposed area has a size corresponding to the content and amount of information shown in the image displayed by the display control unit;
Equipped with
The display control unit changes a display mode of an image to be displayed on the display unit in accordance with a size of the exposed area.
A display device comprising: The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the drive control unit drives the display unit such that the exposed area does not block a view of a driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling. The display device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive control unit limits the drive range of the display unit so that the exposed area does not obstruct the field of vision of the driver of the vehicle when the vehicle is being driven manually, and releases the restriction on the drive range of the display unit when the vehicle is being driven automatically. a display control step of displaying an image on a display unit at least a portion of which can be stored in a storage unit provided in the vehicle;
a drive control process for driving the display unit by vertical movement and rotation to vary an exposed area, which is an area of an area where an image is displayed on the display unit that is not stored in the storage unit, so that the exposed area has a size corresponding to the content and amount of information shown in the image displayed by the display control process;
Including,
The display control step changes a display mode of an image to be displayed on the display unit in accordance with a size of the exposed area.
A drive control method comprising:

Images