DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20080238913A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kuno, Masahiro, Matsuno, Nagako, Katoh, Miki, Kamiya, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 8,817,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/155 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/02 Arrangement of instruments arrangement of lighting devices for dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G12B 11/04 Pointers; Setting-mechanisms therefor

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel for displaying an instrument image including an index image constituting an index and a pointer image constituting a pointer for pointing the index of the index image and a controller for displaying the instrument image on the display panel. The controller varies at least one of a pointer display mode of the pointer image and an index display mode of the index image so as to increase a readability of the index indicated by the index image when positions associated with the pointer image and the index image coincide.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display panel for displaying an instrument image including an index image constituting an index and a pointer image constituting a pointer for pointing the index; and

a controller for displaying the instrument image on the display panel, wherein

the controller varies at least one of a pointer display mode and an index display mode so as to increase a readability of the index indicated by the index image when positions associated with the index image and the pointer image coincide.

2. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies at least one of the pointer display mode and the index display mode such that the pointer image is shown as continuous through a portion of the pointer image associated with the positions where the pointer image and the index image coincide.

3. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the pointer display mode such that the index image is displayed to overlap over the pointer image and a portion of the pointer image on a periphery of an overlap portion where the index image and the pointer image overlap is displayed with a brightness different from a brightness of a remaining portion of the pointer image, a brightness of the index image and a brightness of a background.

4. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the pointer display mode such that the index image is displayed to overlap over the pointer image and a portion of the pointer image on a periphery of an overlap portion where the index image and the pointer image overlap is displayed with a hue different from a hue of a remaining portion of the pointer image, a hue of the index image and a hue of a background.

5. A display device according to claim 3, wherein

the controller displays the portion of the pointer image with a hue different from a hue of the remaining portion of the pointer image, a hue of the index image and a hue of the background.

6. A display device according to claim 3, wherein

the brightness of the portion of the pointer image is between the brightness of the background and the brightness of the remaining portion of the pointer image.

7. A display device according to claim 4, wherein

the hue of the portion of the pointer image is between the hue of the background and the hue of the remaining portion of the pointer image.

8. A display device according to claim 6, wherein

the controller displays the portion of the pointer image with a hue between the hue of the background and the hue of the remaining portion of the pointer image.

9. A display device according to claim 6, wherein

the brightness of the portion of the pointer image is a substantially central brightness between the brightness of the background and the brightness of the remaining portion of the pointer image.

10. A display device according to claim 7, wherein

the hue of the portion of the pointer image is a substantially central hue between the hue of the background and the hue of the remaining portion of the pointer image.

11. A display device according to claim 10, wherein

the controller displays the portion of the pointer image with a substantially central brightness between a brightness of the background and a brightness of the remaining portion of the pointer image.

12. A display device according to claim 3, wherein

the controller displays the portion of the pointer image in a gradation manner such that the brightness of the portion of the pointer image gradually varies from the brightness of the remaining portion of the pointer image to the brightness of the background, from ends of the portion of the pointer image toward a center of the overlap portion with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pointer image.

13. A display device according to claim 3, wherein

the controller displays the portion of the pointer image in a gradation manner such that the brightness of the portion of the pointer image gradually varies from the brightness of the remaining portion of the pointer image to the brightness of the background, from a first end of the portion of the pointer image toward a second end of the portion of the pointer image with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pointer image.

14. A display device according to claim 3, wherein

the instrument image includes a plurality of index images including the index image, and

the controller displays the instrument image such that a difference in brightness between the index image pointed by the pointer image and the background is higher than a difference in brightness between the other index images and the background.

15. A display device according to claim 3, wherein

the controller displays a shade portion indicating a shade of the index image pointed by the pointer image at a position adjacent to the index image pointed by the pointer image.

16. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the index display mode such that an overlap portion where the pointer image and the index image overlap is displayed with a brightness different from a brightness of the pointer image and a brightness of the index image.

17. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the index display mode such that an overlap portion where the pointer image and the index image overlap is displayed with a hue different from a hue of the pointer image and a hue of the index image.

18. A display device according to claim 16, wherein

the controller displays the overlap portion with a hue different from a hue of the pointer image and a hue of the index image.

19. A display device according to claim 17 wherein

the controller varies the index display mode such that a supplementary image is displayed on a periphery of the index image so as to increase the readability of the index indicated by the index image.

20. A display device according to claim 19, wherein

the supplementary image is displayed at a position shifted from the pointer image in a direction associated with a direction in which the pointer image moves.

21. A display device according to claim 19, wherein

the supplementary image includes a shade image indicating a shade of the index image.

22. A display device according to claim 19, wherein

the supplementary image includes an outline image indicating at least a part of an outline of the index image.

23. A display device according to claim 19, wherein

the controller displays the supplementary image with a substantially central brightness between a brightness of the pointer image and a brightness of a background of the pointer image and the index image.

24. A display device according to claim 19, wherein

the controller displays the supplementary image with a substantially central hue between a hue of the pointer image and a hue of a background of the pointer image and the index image.

25. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the index display mode such that a display position of the index image is moved to an outside of a tip end of the pointer image with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pointer image.

26. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the pointer display mode such that the pointer image is displayed in a shape bypassing the index image.

27. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the index display mode such that an entirety of the index image overlapping with the pointer image is displayed with a brightness different from a brightness of the pointer image.

28. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the index display mode such that an entirety of the index image overlapping with the pointer image is displayed with a hue different from a hue of the pointer image.

29. A display device according to claim 27, wherein

the controller displays the entirety of the index image with a hue different from a hue of the pointer image.

30. A display device according to claim 27, wherein

the controller displays a portion of a background on a periphery of the index image overlapping with the pointer image with a brightness different from a brightness of the other portion of the background, a brightness of the pointer image and a brightness of the index image.

31. A display device according to claim 28, wherein

the controller displays a portion of a background on a periphery of the index image overlapping with the pointer image with a hue different from a hue of the other portion of the background, a hue of the pointer image and a hue of the index image.

32. A display device according to claim 30, wherein

the controller displays the portion of the background with a hue different from a hue of the other portion of the backgrounds a hue of the pointer image and a hue of the index image.

33. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller varies the pointer display mode such that a portion of the pointer image on a periphery of an overlap portion where the pointer image and the index image overlap is displayed with a brightness same as a brightness of a background and a hue same as a hue of the background.