VEHICLE METER

• US 20140285334A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: SANO, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,121,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/441
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1515 Reconfigurable dials
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/20 Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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: G01D 13/10 with adjustable scales; with auxiliary scales, e.g. vernier
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 13/12 Graduation

Abstract

A vehicle meter includes a display device to display an image, an indicator needle disposed on an image display surface side and configured to rotate around one end thereof along the image display surface, a display control unit to switchably display one of a first image and a second image on the display device, each image including scale marks at the other end side of the indicator needle, the scale marks being displayed within a range in a circumferential direction of a predetermined circle centered at a rotational axis of the indicator needle, the second image having the range in the circumferential direction narrower than that of the first image, and an indicator needle control unit to control a range for rotating the indicator needle while the second image is displayed to be smaller than that while the first image is displayed.

Claims

1. A vehicle meter comprising:

a display device configured to display an image;

an indicator needle which is a rod-like member disposed on an image display surface side of the display device and which is configured to rotate around one end of the rod-like member along the image display surface;

a display control unit configured to switchably display one of a first image and a second image on the display device, the first image and the second image each including a plurality of scale marks at the other end side of the rod-like member, the plurality of scale marks being displayed within a range in a circumferential direction of a predetermined circle centered at a rotational axis of the indicator needle, the second image having the range in the circumferential direction narrower than that of the first image; and

an indicator needle control unit configured to control a range for rotating the indicator needle while the second image is displayed so as to be smaller than a range for rotating the indicator needle while the first image is displayed.

2. The vehicle meter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a through hole passing through the image display surface and an opposite side surface of the display device;

a shaft mounted on the indicator needle at the one end side of the rod-like member through the through hole; and

an indicator needle drive device configured to rotate the indicator needle via the shaft.

3. The vehicle meter according to claim 1,

the display control unit displays other information different from the plurality of scale marks in a region different from the plurality of scale marks on the image display surface.

4. The vehicle meter according to claim 3,

the display control unit displays the plurality of scale marks of the second image in an upper region of the other information different from the plurality of scale marks.