Display apparatus, and method for controlling the same

• US 20060066507A1
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yanagisawa, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,557,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1526 Dual-view displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/143 Touch sensitive input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1526 Dual-view displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/736 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/739 the user being the passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• 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: B60K 37/06 of controls, e.g. controls knobs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/265 constructional aspects of navigation devices, e.g. housings, mountings, displays G01C21/3688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/359 Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A dual-view display apparatus is provided which, when one operator manipulates an operation screen for the operator'"'"'s corresponding content, can prevent a displayed image of another operator'"'"'s content from being obscured by the one operator, and which has a simple construction to allow reduction in cost, size, and weight. The display apparatus includes a display controller for performing control for local display of the image of one content corresponding to an arbitrary viewing position at a noninterference area when the operator touches a display screen, the noninterference area having no influence on display of the image of another content corresponding to another viewing position even by operation of the operation screen for the one content on the corresponding viewing screen viewed from the one viewing position.

Claims

1. A display apparatus that is capable of displaying a composite image of a plurality of contents on a display screen such that, when the display screen of a display unit is viewed from different viewing positions with different viewing angles from each other with respect to a direction normal to the display screen, an image of each of the different contents corresponding to the respective viewing positions can be viewed on a viewing screen viewed from the corresponding viewing position, the display apparatus being capable of displaying an operation screen consisting of a touch panel on the viewing screen with at least one of said plurality of contents being displayed as the image of the content, the display apparatus comprising:

a display controller for performing control for local display of the image of said one content corresponding to the one arbitrary viewing position at a noninterference area when an operator touches the display screen, the noninterference area not obstructing the display of the image of another content corresponding to another viewing position even by an operation of the operation screen for said one content located on the corresponding viewing screen viewed from said one viewing position.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controller is capable of performing control for local display of the image of said another content at an area other than said noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from said one viewing position.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when said one viewing position is a driver-side viewing position and said one content relates to navigation, said display controller controls the display of the image such that said another content is not displayed.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display controller finishes the control for the local display of the content when the operation of the operation screen is completed.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display controller controls the display of the image such that the image of the driver-side content is displayed at an area within a predetermined range on a non-passenger side of the viewing screen viewed from a driver side, said area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the driver side, and that the image of the passenger-side content is displayed at another area within a predetermined range on a non-driver side of the viewing screen viewed from a passenger side, said another area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the passenger side.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the driver-side content is an image for a navigation apparatus, while the passenger-side content is one of a DVD-reproduced image and a TV picture.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display controller finishes the control for the local display of the content when the operation of the operation screen is completed.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display controller controls the display of the image such that the image of the driver-side content is displayed at an area within a predetermined range on a non-passenger side of the viewing screen viewed from a driver side, said area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the driver side, and that the image of the passenger-side content is displayed at another area within a predetermined range on a non-driver side of the viewing screen viewed from a passenger side, said another area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the passenger side.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display controller finishes the control for the local display of the content when the operation of the operation screen is completed.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the display controller controls the display of the image such that the image of the driver-side content is displayed at an area within a predetermined range on a non-passenger side of the viewing screen viewed from a driver side, said area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the driver side, and that the image of the passenger-side content is displayed at another area within a predetermined range on a non-driver side of the viewing screen viewed from a passenger side, said another area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the passenger side.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controller controls the display of the image such that the image of the driver-side content is displayed at an area within a predetermined range on a non-passenger side of the viewing screen viewed from a driver side, said area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the driver side, and that the image of the passenger-side content is displayed at another area within a predetermined range on a non-driver side of the viewing screen viewed from a passenger side, said another area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the passenger side.

12. A method for controlling a display apparatus which is capable of displaying a composite image of a plurality of contents on a display screen such that, when the display screen of a display unit is viewed from different viewing positions with different viewing angles from each other with respect to a direction normal to the display screen, an image of each of the different contents corresponding to the respective viewing positions can be viewed on a viewing screen viewed from the corresponding viewing position, the display apparatus being capable of displaying an operation screen consisting of a touch panel on the viewing screen with at least one of said plurality of contents being displayed as the image of the content, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting an operator touching the display screen, and

locally displaying the image of the one content corresponding to the one arbitrary viewing position at a noninterference area, the noninterference area not obstructing the display of the image of another content corresponding to another viewing position even by an operation of the operation screen for said one content on the corresponding viewing screen viewed from said one viewing position.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of locally displaying said another content at an area other than said noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from said one viewing position.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of controlling the display of the image such that said another content is not displayed when said one viewing position is a driver-side viewing position and said one content is related to navigation.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of finishing the control for the local display of the content when the operation of the operation screen is completed.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of displaying the image of the driver-side content at an area within a predetermined range on a non-passenger side of the viewing screen viewed from a driver side, said area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the driver side, and displaying the image of the passenger-side content at another area within a predetermined range on a non-driver side of the viewing screen viewed from a passenger side, said another area serving as the noninterference area on the viewing screen viewed from the passenger side.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of determining that the operation of the operation screen is completed when a next operation of the screen is not performed within a predetermined time interval after the previous operation of the operation screen.