VEHICLE-MOUNTED DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20160337594A1
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: MORISHITA, KAZUHIRO, AKAHORI, HITOAKI, SUENAGA, TERUMITSU, KUWABARA, TAKASHI
• Application Number:
  US15/111,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20160337594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/349 Adjustment of brightness
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/777 on or in sun visors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/50 Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle B60K35/231 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/53 Movable instruments, e.g. slidable
• 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: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/08 involving special optical features, e.g. avoiding blind spots , e.g. convex mirrors; Side-by-side associations of rear-view and other mirrors B60R1/025, B60R1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/144 using partially transparent surfaces without spectral selectivity G02B27/147 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A vehicle-mountable display device includes an image display unit configured to be mounted to a position of an inner rearview mirror in a cabin of a vehicle, a driving unit for driving the image display unit, and an orientation controller for controlling the driving unit to control an orientation of the image display unit. The orientation controller is configured to turn the orientation of the image display unit into a rearview-mirror-mode orientation when the image display unit operates at a rearview mirror mode in which the half-mirror is used as a rearview mirror. The orientation controller is configured to turn the orientation of the image display unit into a display-mode orientation different from the rearview-mirror-mode orientation when the image display unit operates at a display mode in which the image display displays the captured image. A normal line of the half mirror at the display-mode orientation is closer to a driver than the normal line of the half mirror at the rearview-mirror-mode orientation. The vehicle-mountable display device improves visibility of the image display for a driver.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mountable display device comprising:

an image display unit configured to be mounted to a position of an inner rearview mirror in a cabin of a vehicle, the image display unit including

an image display capable of displaying an image captured by an imaging unit mounted in the vehicle, and

a half mirror disposed on a front surface of the image display;

a driving unit for driving the image display unit; and

an orientation controller for controlling the driving unit to control an orientation of the image display unit,

wherein the orientation controller is configured to;

turn the orientation of the image display unit into a rearview-mirror-mode orientation when the image display unit operates at a rearview mirror mode in which the half-mirror is used as a rearview mirror; and

turn the orientation of the image display unit into a display-mode orientation different from the rearview-mirror-mode orientation when the image display unit operates at a display mode in which the image display displays the captured image, and

wherein a normal line of the half mirror at the display-mode orientation is closer to a driver than the normal line of the half mirror at the rearview-mirror-mode orientation.

2. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 1, wherein the display-mode orientation is positioned such that the image display unit having a front surface as the half mirror substantially directly faces the driver.

3. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 1, wherein the display-mode orientation is an orientation predetermined by the driver.

4. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 1, further comprising

an image display controller for controlling the image display,

wherein the image display controller is configured to:

turn on the image display unit continuously until a time point when the orientation of the image display unit is turned into the rearview-mirror-mode orientation from the display-mode orientation by control of the orientation controller during transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode, and

turn off the image display at the time point.

5. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 4, wherein the image display controller is configured to increases brightness of the image display gradually as the orientation of the image display unit changes from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation during transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode.

6. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 1, further comprising

an image display controller for controlling the image display,

wherein the image display controller is configured to:

increase brightness of the image display gradually as the orientation of the image display unit changes from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation during transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode;

then, decrease the brightness of the image display gradually from a time point when the orientation of the image display unit is turned into the rearview-mirror-mode orientation; and

then, turn off the image display.

7. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image display controller for controlling the image display; and

an image processor for processing the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the image processor is configured to increase a contrast of the image gradually as the orientation of the image display unit changes from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mode orientation by control of the orientation controller during transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode, and

wherein the image display controller is configured to;

turn on the image display continuously until a time point when the orientation of the image display unit is turned into the rearview-mirror-mode orientation during the transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode; and

turn off the image display at the time point.

8. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image display controller for controlling the image display; and

an image processor for processing the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the image processor is configured to;

increase contrast of the image gradually as the orientation of the image display unit changes from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation by control of the orientation controller during transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode; and

decrease the contrast of the image up to a contract at the display mode gradually from a time point when the orientation of the image display unit is turned into the rearview-mirror-mode orientation; and

wherein the image display controller is configured to;

turn on the image display continuously until the contrast of the image decreases to the contrast in the display mode; and

turn off the image display when the contrast of the image decreases to the contrast at the display mode.

9. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 4, further comprising

an image processor for processing the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the image processor is configured to superimpose an indicator image on the image captured by the imaging unit during the transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode, the indicator image indicating that the image display unit is in transition of mode;

and

wherein the image display displays the image having the indicator image is superimposed thereon.

10. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 4, further comprising

a switching instruction unit for instructing switching between the display mode and the rearview mirror mode,

wherein the orientation controller is configured to:

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a normal speed in response to an instruction from the switching instruction unit instructing to switch from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode; and

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a speed faster than the normal speed when abnormality occurs.

11. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 6, further comprising

an image processor for processing the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the image processor is configured to superimpose an indicator image on the image captured by the imaging unit during the transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode, the indicator image indicating that the image display unit is in transition of mode;

and

wherein the image display displays the image having the indicator image is superimposed thereon.

12. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 6, further comprising

a switching instruction unit for instructing switching between the display mode and the rearview mirror mode,

wherein the orientation controller is configured to:

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a normal speed in response to an instruction from the switching instruction unit instructing to switch from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode; and

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a speed faster than the normal speed when abnormality occurs.

13. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 7, further comprising

an image processor for processing the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the image processor is configured to superimpose an indicator image on the image captured by the imaging unit during the transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode, the indicator image indicating that the image display unit is in transition of mode;

and

wherein the image display displays the image having the indicator image is superimposed thereon.

14. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 7, further comprising

a switching instruction unit for instructing switching between the display mode and the rearview mirror mode,

wherein the orientation controller is configured to:

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a normal speed in response to an instruction from the switching instruction unit instructing to switch from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode; and

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a speed faster than the normal speed when abnormality occurs.

15. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 8, further comprising

an image processor for processing the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the image processor is configured to superimpose an indicator image on the image captured by the imaging unit during the transition from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode, the indicator image indicating that the image display unit is in transition of mode;

and

wherein the image display displays the image having the indicator image is superimposed thereon.

16. The vehicle-mountable display device according to claim 8, further comprising

a switching instruction unit for instructing switching between the display mode and the rearview mirror mode,

wherein the orientation controller is configured to:

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a normal speed in response to an instruction from the switching instruction unit instructing to switch from the display mode to the rearview mirror mode; and

change the orientation of the image display from the display-mode orientation to the rearview-mirror-mode orientation at a speed faster than the normal speed when abnormality occurs.