Display device for vehicle

• US 6,741,223 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamada, Hajime, Wada, Keisuke, Akimaru, Tatsuya, Komori, Tomohiro, Nakauchi, Shoji, Kobayashi, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US10/163,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 345/629, 345/630, 345/634, 345/635, 345/636
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/155 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• 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: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence

Abstract

A display device for vehicles which is capable of reducing fatigue of the driver due to driving a vehicle. The display device includes a display unit capable of displaying a three dimensional image by shifting the position of a real image and a virtual image in a front and back direction, and a total control unit which controls a display content of the display unit. The total control unit includes a vehicle condition determination unit which determines the condition of the vehicle based on internal and external information data; an information selection unit which selects information data to be displayed from the internal and external information data based on the condition of the vehicle determined by the vehicle condition determination unit; and a display control unit which displays internal and external information data selected by the information selection unit using real images and virtual images, respectively.

Claims

1. A display device for a vehicle, comprising:

a display unit which is capable of displaying a three dimensional image by shifting a position of a real image and a position of a virtual image in a front and back direction; and

a total control unit which controls a display content of said display unit, comprising;

a vehicle condition determination unit which determines the condition of the vehicle based on internal information data including at least vehicle speed information and external information data including at least information on another vehicle running in front of the vehicle;

an information selection unit which selects information data to be displayed on said display unit from the internal information data and the external information data based on the condition of the vehicle determined by said vehicle condition determination unit; and

a display control unit which displays internal information data selected by said information selection unit on said display unit using real images, and external information data selected by said information selection unit on said display unit using virtual images.

2. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said display unit displays the real images in front of the virtual images.

3. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said display unit comprises:

a first display which displays a real image;

a half mirror which is disposed at a driver side with respect to said first display;

a total reflection mirror which is disposed below and in the vicinity of said half mirror; and

a second display which is disposed at the driver side with respect to said total reflection mirror and displays virtual images on said half mirror by projecting images onto said total reflection mirror.

4. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said display unit comprises:

a first display which displays a real image;

a half mirror which is disposed at a driver side with respect to said first display;

a total reflection mirror which is disposed below and in the vicinity of said half mirror;

a second display which is disposed at the driver side with respect to said total reflection mirror and displays virtual images on said half mirror by projecting images onto said total reflection mirror.

5. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said display unit comprises:

a display which includes a display area for displaying real images and a display area for displaying virtual images, said display area for displaying virtual images being disposed at a driver side with respect to said display area for displaying real images;

a total reflection mirror which reflects a display content of said display area for displaying real images; and

a half mirror which reflects a display content of said display area for displaying virtual images.

6. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a second display area for displaying virtual images, which is disposed in the vicinity of a corner of said display area for displaying real images; and

a second half mirror which reflects a display content of said second display area for displaying virtual images.

7. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said display control unit controls, when only internal information data selected by said information selection unit is displayed on said display unit by said display control unit using real images and this display state is changed to contain external information data in addition to the internal information data, so that a display position of the internal information data is shifted with respect to a display position of the external information data.

8. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

said display control unit controls, when only internal information data selected by said information selection unit is displayed on said display unit by said display control unit using real images and this display state is changed to contain external information data in addition to the internal information data, so that a display position of the internal information data is shifted with respect to a display position of the external information data.

9. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

said display control unit controls, when only internal information data selected by said information selection unit is displayed on said display unit by said display control unit using real images and this display state is changed to contain external information data in addition to the internal information data, so that a display position of the internal information data is shifted with respect to a display position of the external information data.

10. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

said display control unit controls, when only internal information data selected by said information selection unit is displayed on said display unit by said display control unit using real images and this display state is changed to contain external information data in addition to the internal information data, so that a display position of the internal information data is shifted with respect to a display position of the external information data.

11. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein

said display control unit controls, when only internal information data selected by said information selection unit is displayed on said display unit by said display control unit using real images and this display state is changed to contain external information data in addition to the internal information data, so that a display position of the internal information data is shifted with respect to a display position of the external information data.

12. A display device for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

said display control unit controls, when only internal information data selected by said information selection unit is displayed on said display unit by said display control unit using real images and this display state is changed to contain external information data in addition to the internal information data, so that a display position of the internal information data is shifted with respect to a display position of the external information data.