IN-VEHICLE AUDIO/VISUAL APPARATUS

• US 20080266067A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: TAKASHIMA, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0264 for control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0288 Apparatus made of several modules independently mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/082 to be used in vehicles H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02

Abstract

In an in-vehicle audio/visual apparatus which displays an external device screen of an external media player on a display unit, a communication unit is configured to communicate with an external media player. An external device screen displaying unit is configured to select one of a plurality of external device screens in accordance with the external media player and display the selected external device screen on the display unit.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle audio/visual apparatus which displays an external device screen of an external media player on a display unit, comprising:

a communication unit configured to communicate with an external media player; and

an external device screen displaying unit configured to select one of a plurality of external device screens in accordance with the external media player and display the selected external device screen on the display unit.

2. The in-vehicle audio/visual apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when screen information of an external device screen is stored in the external media player, the external device screen displaying unit displays the external device screen on the display unit using the screen information received from the external media player by the communication unit.

3. The in-vehicle audio/visual apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit which stores respective screen information items of the plurality of external device screens each associated with identification information of an external media player,

wherein the external device screen displaying unit extracts a screen information item from the storage unit based on identification information received from the external media player by the communication unit, and displays the extracted external device screen on the display unit using the received screen information.

4. The in-vehicle audio/visual apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of external device screens includes:

an operation position detecting part for receiving an operation position in the external device screen; and

an indication part for displaying at least a part of either an appearance of the external media player or a configuration of an operation unit, and

wherein the in-vehicle audio/visual apparatus further comprises an operation signal transmitting unit configured to transmit to the external media player an operation signal, corresponding to the operation unit, based on the operation position when operation of the indication part on the external device screen is detected by the operation position detecting unit.

5. The in-vehicle audio/visual apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external device screen displaying unit is configured to display reproducing information, containing a playback time of playback data reproduced by the external media player, in the selected external device screen.