Display device

• US 6,954,185 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ogino, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US10/185,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20030007227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 348/832, 348/834, 348/835, 359/630, 359/631
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/656 the user being a passenger
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1347 Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/002 Special television systems not provided for by H04N7/007 - H04N7/18 still pictures via a television channel H04N1/00098

Abstract

A display device is provided for making images of a movie, a TV or the like invisible to a driver while the vehicle is traveling, but at the same time visible to a passenger riding in a front passenger seat. A viewing angle control shutter 20 using a liquid crystal is disposed facing a front surface of a liquid crystal display panel 19. When the vehicle is in a stopping state, the viewing angle control shutter 20 is set to off, thereby making the image that is displayed on the display panel 19 visible from the driver'"'"'s seat side and the front passenger seat side. While the vehicle is traveling, the viewing angle control shutter 20 is driven such that the driver can watch an image produced by the navigation device 13, but cannot watch an image reproduced by a DVD reproduction device 14.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display section including at least two non-overlapping display portions; and

a viewing angle control shutter for switching between a first state in which images displayed on both of said two display portions of said display section are visible from both of a first direction and a second direction, and a second state in which an image on a first display portion of the display section is visible from at least said first direction, but an image on a second display portion of the display section is visible from only said second direction.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said viewing angle control shutter is a liquid crystal shutter.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said first direction is a direction from a driver'"'"'s seat to said display section, and said second direction is a direction from a passenger seat to said display section.

4. A display device that is mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a display section including at least two non-overlapping display portions;

a viewing angle control shutter for switching between a first state in which images displayed on both of said two display portions of said display section are visible from both of a first direction and a second direction, and a second state in which an image on a first display portion of the display section is visible from at least said first direction, but an image on a second display portion of the display section is visible from only said second direction;

a video signal switching and synthesizing section for switching between or synthesizing a plurality of received video signals to supply said switched or synthesized video signal to said display section, and for supplying a control signal responsive to said video signal supplied to said display section; and

a shutter driving section connected to a vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor that detects whether or not the vehicle is in a stopping state, and for driving said viewing angle control shutter according to said control signal and an output from said vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein said viewing angle control shutter switches between viewing angles by electrically controlling the orientation of a liquid crystal molecule.

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein said viewing angle control shutter tilts the liquid crystal molecule in a predetermined direction by applying a voltage between a pair of electrodes sandwiching a liquid crystal.

7. The display device according to claim 4, wherein, when said shutter driving section receives from said vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor a signal indicating that the vehicle is in the stopping state, said shutter driving section drives said viewing angle control shutter into said first state.

8. The display device according to claim 4, wherein, when said shutter driving section receives from said vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor a signal indicating that the vehicle is traveling, said shutter driving section drives said viewing angle control shutter into said second state.

9. The display device according to claim 4, wherein, when said shutter driving section receives a signal indicating that the vehicle is traveling from said vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor and a signal indicating a navigation image from said video signal switching and synthesizing section, said shutter driving section drives said viewing angle control shutter into said first state.

10. The display device according to claim 4, wherein, when said shutter driving section receives a signal indicating that the vehicle is traveling from said vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor and a signal indicating an image to be reproduced by a moving image reproducing device from said video signal switching and synthesizing section, said shutter driving section drives said viewing angle control shutter into said second state.

11. The display device according to claim 4, wherein, when said shutter driving section receives a signal indicating that the vehicle is traveling from said vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor, and screen range data on an image to be reproduced by a moving image reproducing device from said video signal switching and synthesizing section, said shutter driving section drives said viewing angle control shutter such that the screen range of the moving image to be reproduced is in said second state.

12. The display device according to claim 4, wherein, when said shutter driving section receives a signal indicating that the vehicle is traveling from said vehicle stopping-state detecting sensor, and navigation image range data and image range data to be reproduced by a moving image reproducing device from said video signal switching and synthesizing section, said shutter driving section drives said viewing angle control shutter such that said navigation image range is in said first state and said image range to be reproduced by the moving image reproducing device is in said second state.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein, when said moving image reproducing device stops transmitting the video signal, said video signal switching and synthesizing section transmits a signal to said shutter driving section for displaying said navigation image on a full screen, and responsive to said signal, said shutter driving section drives said viewing angle control shutter such that said full screen is in said first state.

14. The display device according to claim 10, wherein said moving image reproducing device is one of a television or a DVD reproducing device.

15. A method of operating a display device comprising:

providing a display section including at least two non-overlapping display portions;

providing a viewing angle control shutter; and

switching the viewing angle control shutter between a first state in which images displayed on both of said two display portions of said display section are visible from both of a first direction and a second direction different from said first direction, and a second state in which an image on a first display portion of the display section is visible from at least said first direction, but an image on a second display portion of the display section is visible from said second direction and not from said first direction.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the viewing angle control shutter is a liquid crystal shutter. .

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the display device is mounted in a vehicle, the first direction is from a driver'"'"'s seat to said display section, and the second direction is from a passenger seat to said display section.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the viewing angle control shutter is in said first state when the vehicle is stopped, and the viewing angle control shutter is in said second state when the vehicle is traveling.