VIEW ADJUSTMENT DEVICE OF VEHICLE

• US 20160089961A1
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: CHIBA, Masaki, NAKAMURA, Kazuki, MAEBASHI, Kumiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,630,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/04 adjustable in transparency
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence

Abstract

A view adjustment device of a vehicle which adjusts a view recognized by a driver through a windshield glass comprises a visual-stimulation indicating mechanism capable of indicating shielding portions in a view area of the diver and a controller to control an indication manner of the visual-stimulation indicator. The controller comprises a traveling-direction determination portion to determine a traveling direction of the vehicle, a traveling-speed determination portion to determine a traveling speed of the vehicle, and an indication control portion to control the visual-stimulation indicating mechanism. The indication control portion is configured such that when it is determined that the vehicle travels in a straight direction, the high-speed shielding portion is indicated at a position located relatively on a leftward side, in a vehicle width direction, compared to the low-speed shielding portion or the middle-speed shielding portion.

Claims

1. A view adjustment device of a vehicle which adjusts a view recognized by a driver through a windshield glass, comprising:

a visual-stimulation indicator capable of indicating visual stimulation in a view area of the diver; and

a controller to control an indication manner of the visual-stimulation indicator,

wherein said controller comprises a traveling-direction determination portion to determine a traveling direction of the vehicle, a traveling-speed determination portion to determine a traveling speed of the vehicle, and an indication control portion to control said visual-stimulation indicator based on determination results of said traveling-direction determination portion and said traveling-speed determination portion, and

said indication control portion is configured such that when said traveling-direction determination portion determines that the vehicle travels in a straight direction, the visual stimulation indicated by said visual-stimulation indicator in a case in which the vehicle'"'"'s traveling speed is relatively high is indicated at a position which is located relatively on an inward side, in a vehicle width direction, compared to the visual stimulation indicated by the visual-stimulation indicator in a case in which the vehicle'"'"'s traveling speed is relatively low.

2. The view adjustment device of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said visual-stimulation indicator is configured to indicate the visual stimulation at an upper-end portion or a lower-end portion of the windshield glass.

3. The view adjustment device of the vehicle of claim 2, wherein the visual stimulation indicted by said visual-stimulation indicator is a shielding portion which has a translucent or non-transparent state of the windshield glass in which driver'"'"'s forward visibility through the windshield glass is limited, the shielding portion being configured substantially in a triangular shape such that a base thereof is positioned at an upper end or a lower end and an apex thereof is directed toward a central side of the windshield glass.

4. The view adjustment device of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said visual-stimulation indicator is configured such that the visual stimulation indicated thereby becomes larger as the vehicle'"'"'s traveling speed becomes higher.

5. The view adjustment device of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said visual-stimulation indicator is configured such that the visual stimulation indicated thereby is movable from a point which corresponds to a physical front direction of a vehicle body toward the inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of the windshield glass.

6. The view adjustment device of the vehicle of claim 5, wherein said physical front direction of the vehicle body is a direction of an extension line which connects a center, in the vehicle width direction, of a driver'"'"'s seat and a top of a meter hood provided at an instrument panel.