Display apparatus for vehicle

• US 8,803,675 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US13/113,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/431, 340433-434, 340/438, 340/459, 340/461, 701/1, 701/29.1, 701/29.4, 701/428, 701/431, 701/444
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/045 supported by the wheels

Abstract

A display apparatus for vehicle includes: a first display unit which is provided in a region within a horizontal width of a steering wheel when viewed from a driver, and which displays at least single piece of notification information regarding a state of the vehicle; a second display unit which is integrally formed with the first display unit, and which displays information in a region outside the horizontal width of the steering wheel when viewed from the driver; and a control unit which controls image-display on the first display unit and the second display unit. The second display unit includes an information-image display region which displays an information-image corresponding to the at least single piece of notification information, and a guide display region which displays a guide-image for guiding a driver'"'"'s eye to a side of the information-image display region.

Claims

1. A display apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a first display unit which is provided in a region within a horizontal width of a steering wheel when viewed from a driver, and which is configured to display a plurality of different notification symbols regarding a state of the vehicle;

a second display unit which is integrally formed with the first display unit, and which is configured to display information in a region outside the horizontal width of the steering wheel when viewed from the driver; and

a control unit which is configured to control image-display on the first display unit and the second display unit, wherein

the second display unit includes an information-image display region which is configured to display an information-image and a text image corresponding to one of the plurality of different notification symbols being displayed on the first display unit, and a guide display region which is configured to display a guide-image for guiding a driver'"'"'s eye to a side of the information-image display region,

wherein the guide display region is located between the first display unit and the information-image display region,

the guide display region has a plurality of elongated guide lights which are aligned from a side of the first display unit to a side of the information-image display region, and the elongated guide lights become shorter in length from the side of the first display unit to the side of the information-image display region, and

the control unit lights the guide display region when the control unit causes the first display unit to display the one of the plurality of different notification symbols.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit lights the guide display region so as to gradually lengthen the lighting time of the guide display region from a side of the first display unit toward the information-image display region when the control unit causes the first display unit to display the one of the plurality of different notification symbols.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of pieces of notification information correspond to respective display colors, which differ from one another in color, and

when the control unit causes the first display unit to display one of the plurality of pieces of notification information, the control unit lights the guide display region with a display color corresponding to the one of the plurality of pieces of notification information.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information-image is a symbol and is the same as the one of the plurality of different notification symbols being displayed.