Display unit and method for displaying multiple images

• US 8,098,253 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okumura, Tomohiro, Nishikawa, Ryouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US12/078,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/530
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1868 according to driving situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• 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: G09G 2310/0245 Clearing or presetting the whole screen independently of waveforms, e.g. on power-on G09G2310/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/12 Frame memory handling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/395 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of the bit-mapped memory to the screen G09G5/399 takes precedence

Abstract

A display unit includes: a display panel for displaying a plurality of information images; a memory for storing a plurality of image data elements corresponding to the information images; an image memory for storing the image data elements transferred from the memory; and a controller for controlling the display panel to display the information images based on the image data elements in the image memory. The controller transfers a part of the image data elements to the image memory on ahead when the display unit starts to operate, and the controller controls the display panel to display a part of information images on ahead based on the part of the image data elements.

Claims

1. A display unit comprising:

a display panel for displaying a plurality of information images, which relate to each other;

a memory for storing a plurality of image data elements corresponding to the information images;

an image memory for storing the image data elements transferred from the memory; and

a controller for controlling the display panel to display the information images based on the image data elements in the image memory, wherein

the controller transfers a part of the image data elements to the image memory on ahead when the display unit starts to operate, and

the controller controls the display panel to display a part of information images on ahead based on the part of the image data elements,

the controller transfers a remaining part of the image data elements to the image memory after the display panel displays the part of information images on ahead, and

the controller controls the display panel to display a remaining part of information images based on the remaining part of the image data elements.

2. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of information images includes a physical quantity information image, which represents physical quantity information,

the physical quantity information image includes a scale image for providing a scale and a pointer image for providing a pointer, and

the controller controls the display panel to display the physical quantity information image in such a manner that the pointer image is capable of moving along with the scale image.

3. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein

the part of the information images represents information having priority higher than the remaining part of the information images.

4. The display unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selector for selecting the part of the information images.

7. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the display unit starts to operate upon activation of an ignition switch.

10. The display unit according to claim 1,

wherein the part of information images includes a speed meter image and a indicator and warning image,

wherein the speed meter image has a scale image showing a scale and a pointer image rotatable along with the scale image according to a vehicle speed and pointing the scale image,

wherein the indicator and warning image has an indicator image notifying an operation condition of an in-vehicle device and a warning image notifying a warning,

wherein the remaining part of information images includes a engine rotation meter image, a water temperature meter image and a fuel meter image,

wherein each of the rotation meter image, the water temperature meter image and the fuel meter image includes a scale image showing a scale and a pointer image rotatable along with the scale image and pointing the scale image.

11. The display unit according to claim 1,

wherein the part of information images and the remaining part of information images provide a whole of a screen image of the display panel, and

wherein the remaining part of information images does not conceal the part of information images.

5. A display unit comprising:

a selector for selecting a first information image among a plurality of information images, wherein rest of the information images provides a second information image and the first information image and the second information image relate to each other;

a display panel for displaying the first information image and the second information image;

a first memory for storing a first image data element and a second image data element, wherein the first image data element corresponds to the first information image, and the second image data element corresponds to the second information image;

a second memory for storing the first and second image data elements transferred from the first memory, wherein the second memory provides an image memory; and

a controller for controlling the display panel to display the first and second information images based on the first and second image data elements in the second memory, wherein

the controller transfers the first image data element from the first memory to the second memory when the display unit starts to operate,

the controller controls the display panel to display the first information image corresponding to the first image data element,

the controller transfers the second image data element from the first memory to the second memory after the display panel displays the first information image, and

the controller controls the display panel to display the second information image in addition to the first information image corresponding to the second image data element.

8. The display unit according to claim 5, wherein the display unit starts to operate upon activation of an ignition switch.

12. The display unit according to claim 5,

wherein the first information image includes a speed meter image and a indicator and warning image,

wherein the speed meter image has a scale image showing a scale and a pointer image rotatable along with the scale image according to a vehicle speed and pointing the scale image,

wherein the indicator and warning image has an indicator image notifying an operation condition of an in-vehicle device and a warning image notifying a warning,

wherein the second information image includes a engine rotation meter image, a water temperature meter image and a fuel meter image,

wherein each of the rotation meter image, the water temperature meter image and the fuel meter image includes a scale image showing a scale and a pointer image rotatable along with the scale image and pointing the scale image.

13. The display unit according to claim 5,

wherein the first information image and the second information image provide a whole of a screen image of the display panel, and

wherein the second information image does not conceal the first information image.

6. A method for displaying a plurality of information images comprising:

selecting a first information image among the plurality of information images, wherein rest of the information images provides a second information image and the first information image and the second information image relate to each other;

storing a first image data element and a second image data element in a first memory, wherein the first image data element corresponds to the first information image, and the second image data element corresponds to the second information image;

transferring the first image data element from the first memory to a second memory after the selecting and the storing and when the displaying method starts to operate, wherein the second memory provides an image memory;

displaying the first information image corresponding to the first image data element on a display panel;

transferring the second image data element from the first memory to the second memory after the displaying the first information image; and

displaying the second information image in addition to the first information image corresponding to the second image data element on the display panel.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the displaying method starts to operate upon activation of an ignition switch.

14. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the first information image includes a speed meter image and a indicator and warning image,

wherein the speed meter image has a scale image showing a scale and a pointer image rotatable along with the scale image according to a vehicle speed and pointing the scale image,

wherein the indicator and warning image has an indicator image notifying an operation condition of an in-vehicle device and a warning image notifying a warning,

wherein the second information image includes a engine rotation meter image, a water temperature meter image and a fuel meter image,

wherein each of the rotation meter image, the water temperature meter image and the fuel meter image includes a scale image showing a scale and a pointer image rotatable along with the scale image and pointing the scale image.

15. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the first information image and the second information image provide a whole of a screen image of the display panel, and

wherein the second information image does not conceal the first information image.

16. A display unit comprising:

a display panel for displaying a plurality of information images, which relate to each other;

a memory for storing a plurality of image data elements corresponding to the information images;

an image memory for storing the image data elements transferred from the memory; and

a controller for controlling the display panel to display the information images based on the image data elements in the image memory, wherein

the controller transfers only a part of the image data elements to the image memory on ahead when the display unit starts to operate and not a remaining part of the image data elements, and

the controller controls the display panel to display a part of information images on ahead based on only the part of the image data elements and not the remaining part of the image data elements,

the controller transfers the remaining part of the image data elements to the image memory after the display panel displays the part of information images on ahead, and

the controller controls the display panel to display a remaining part of information images based on the remaining part of the image data elements.

17. A display unit comprising:

a selector for selecting a first information image among a plurality of information images, wherein rest of the information images provides a second information image and the first information image and the second information image relate to each other;

a display panel for displaying the first information image and the second information image;

a first memory for storing a first image data element and a second image data element, wherein the first image data element corresponds to the first information image, and the second image data element corresponds to the second information image;

a second memory for storing the first and second image data elements transferred from the first memory, wherein the second memory provides an image memory; and

a controller for controlling the display panel to display the first and second information images based on the first and second image data elements in the second memory, wherein

the controller transfers only the first image data element from the first memory to the second memory when the display unit starts to operate,

the controller controls the display panel to display the first information image corresponding only to the first image data element,

the controller transfers the second image data element from the first memory to the second memory after the display panel displays the first information image, and

the controller controls the display panel to display the second information image in addition to the first information image corresponding to the second image data element.

18. A method for displaying a plurality of information images comprising:

selecting a first information image among the plurality of information images, wherein rest of the information images provides a second information image and the first information image and the second information image relate to each other;

storing a first image data element and a second image data element in a first memory, wherein the first image data element corresponds to the first information image, and the second image data element corresponds to the second information image;

transferring only the first image data element from the first memory to a second memory after the selecting and the storing and when the displaying method starts to operate, wherein the second memory provides an image memory;

displaying the first information image corresponding to only the first image data element on a display panel;

transferring the second image data element from the first memory to the second memory after the displaying the first information image; and

displaying the second information image in addition to the first information image corresponding to the second image data element on the display panel.