Display apparatus and method for automotive vehicle

• US 20030067432A1
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakata, Masao, Watanabe, Hiroshi, Hirose, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 6,697,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/656 the user being a passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7416 involving the use of a spatial light modulator, e.g. a light valve, controlled by a video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3102 using two-dimensional electronic spatial light modulators micromechanical modulators as such G02B26/0833; liquid crystal modulators as such G02F1/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

In display apparatus and method applicable to an automotive vehicle, a display image is projected over a screen section, the screen section having a first screen enabled to switch its state between a light transmission state in which the projected display image is transmitted therethrough and a light diffusion state in which the projected display image is projected thereon and a second screen enabled to switch its state between the light transmission state and the light diffusion state, a field of view limiting section (louver filter) is interposed between the first screen and second screen for limiting a field of view of a predetermined direction, and a controlling section controllably switches the respective states of the first and second screens.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a projecting section that projects a display image;

a first screen enabled to switch its state between a light transmission state in which the projected display image is transmitted therethrough and a light diffusion state in which the projected display image is projected thereon;

a second screen enabled to switch its state between the light transmission state and the light diffusion state;

a field of view limiting section interposed between the first screen and second screen to limit a field of view of a predetermined direction; and

a controlling section that controllably switches the respective states of the first and second screens.

2. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second screens is divided into predetermined blocks and wherein the controlling section controllably switches the respective states of the first and second screens for each of the predetermined blocks.

3. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the field of view limiting section limits the field of view of a direction which is different for each of predetermined regions of the display image.

4. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display apparatus is mounted in a vehicular compartment, the controlling section comprises a vehicular travel state detecting section that detects a travel state of the vehicle, and the controlling section controls the respective states of the first and second screens in accordance with the travel state of the vehicle detected by the vehicular travel state detecting section.

5. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the first and second screens is divided into a vehicle driver purpose display block and another display block than the vehicle driver purpose display block and the controlling section controls the respective states of the first and second screens in such a manner that the display image displayed on the other display block is visually unrecognizable from a driver seat in accordance with the vehicular travel state detected by the vehicular travel state detecting section.

6. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the first and second screens is divided into a required information display block on which an information required for a vehicular driving is mainly displayed and another display block than the required information display block and the controlling section controls the respective states of the first and second screens in such a manner that the display image displayed on the other display block is visually unrecognizable from a driver seat in accordance with the vehicular travel state detected by the vehicular travel state detecting section.

7. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controlling section controls the respective states of the first and second screens in such a manner that the display image is visually unrecognizable from a driver seat when the travel state detecting section detects that the vehicle is traveling at a vehicular velocity higher than zero.

8. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the field of view limiting section limits the field of view of the direction from a driver seat of the vehicle.

9. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the field of view limiting section limits the field of view in a direction which is different for each predetermined region of the display image.

10. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the field of view limiting section limits the field of view of at least one predetermined region of the display image so as to be visually unrecognizable from the driver seat.

11. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the field of view limiting section limits the field of view of another predetermined region than the predetermined region of the display image in such a manner as to enable the field of view of the other predetermined region to be visually recognized from the driver seat.

12. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the field of view limiting section comprises a louver filter having a plurality of shutter plates laminated on one another, gradients of the shutter plates in a first predetermined region of each of the first and second screens located at a passenger seat side being tilted toward the passenger seat side, and those in a second predetermined region of each of the first and second screens located at a driver seat side being tilted toward the driver seat side.

13. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein, when the travel state detecting section detects that the vehicle is traveling at a vehicular velocity higher than zero, the controlling section applies a given voltage to the second screen for the second screen to be in the light transmission state with no voltage applied to the first screen for the first screen to be in the light diffusion state, whereby the display image from the first predetermined region is visually recognizable only at the passenger seat side and the display image from the second predetermined region is visually recognized only at the driver seat side.

14. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein, when the travel state detecting section detects that the vehicle is stopped, the controlling section applies the given voltage to the first screen for the first screen to be in the light transmission state with no voltage applied to the second screen for the second screen to be in the light diffusion state, whereby the display image from the first predetermined region is visually recognizable at both of the passenger seat side and the driver seat side and the display image from the second predetermined region is visually recognized at both of the driver seat side and the passenger seat side.

15. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the first and second screens is constituted by a dispersion liquid crystal.

16. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the field of view limiting section comprises a louver filter having a plurality of shutter plates laminated over one another, each gradient of the shield plates being the same and being tilted toward a passenger seat.

17. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first screen is divided into first and second blocks, the first block being located at a passenger seat side and the second block being located at a driver seat side, the second screen is divided into third and fourth blocks, the third block being faced with the first block via the louver filter and the fourth block being faced with the second filter via the louver filter, and, when the vehicular travel state detecting section detects that the vehicle is traveling at a vehicular velocity higher than zero, the controlling section applies a given voltage to each of the second and third blocks for each of the second and third blocks to be in the light transmission state with no voltage applied to each of the first and fourth blocks for each of the first and fourth blocks to be in the light transmission state, whereby the display image from the passenger seat side via the third block is visually recognized only at the passenger seat side and the display image from the driver seat side is visually recognized at both of the driver seat side and the passenger seat side.

18. A display apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein, when the vehicular travel state detecting section detects that the vehicle is stopped, the controlling section applies the given voltage to the first and second blocks of the first screen for each of the first and second blocks to be in the light transmission state with no voltage applied to the third and fourth blocks of the second screen for each of the third and fourth blocks to be in the light diffusion state, whereby the display image from the passenger seat side is visually recognized at both of the passenger seat side and the driver seat side and the display image from the driver seat side is visually recognized at both of the passenger seat side and the driver seat side.

19. A display method comprising:

projecting a display image;

providing a first screen enabled to switch its state between a light transmission state in which the projected display image is transmitted therethrough and a light diffusion state in which the projected display image is projected thereon;

providing a second screen enabled to switch its state between the light transmission state and the light diffusion state;

providing a field of view limiting section interposed between the first screen and second screen to limit a field of view of a predetermined direction; and

controllably switching the respective states of the first and second screens.

20. A display apparatus comprising:

projecting means for projecting a display image;

first screen means enabled to switch its state between a light transmission state in which the projected display image is transmitted therethrough and a light diffusion state in which the projected display image is projected thereon;

second screen means enabled to switch its state between the light transmission state and the light diffusion state;

field of view limiting means interposed between the first screen and second screen for limiting a field of view of a predetermined direction; and

controlling means for controllably switching the respective states of the first and second screens.