Display device for increasing the readability of an instrument image

• US 8,817,024 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Katoh, Miki, Kuno, Masahiro, Matsuno, Nagako, Kamiya, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): HAJNIK, DANIEL F
• Application Number:
  US12/056,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,343 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/421
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/155 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• 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: G12B 11/04 Pointers; Setting-mechanisms therefor

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel for displaying an instrument image including an index image constituting an index and a pointer image constituting a pointer for pointing the index of the index image and a controller for displaying the instrument image on the display panel. The controller varies at least one of a pointer display mode of the pointer image and an index display mode of the index image so as to increase a readability of the index indicated by the index image when positions associated with the pointer image and the index image coincide.

Claims

1. A vehicular instrument display device comprising:

a display panel for displaying an instrument image including an index image constituting an index and a pointer image constituting a pointer for pointing the index; and

a controller for displaying the instrument image on the display panel, wherein

the controller varies at least one of a pointer display mode and an index display mode so as to increase readability of the index indicated by the index image when positions associated with the index image and the pointer image coincide; and

wherein the controller varies the index display mode such that a plurality of supplementary images are displayed on a periphery of the index image so as to increase readability of the index indicated by the index image; and

the controller displays each said supplementary image with a central brightness and hue between a brightness and hue of the pointer image and a brightness and hue of a background of said instrument image; and

the controller displays said index image and pointer image with the same brightness and hue when said pointer image coincides with said index image; and

wherein the plurality of supplementary images are added to only one side of each of one or more boundaries of said index image and wherein said index image is not fully enclosed by said boundaries when said pointer image coincides with said index image.

2. A vehicular instrument display device comprising:

a vehicle display panel configured to display an instrument image to a vehicle driver including an index image and a pointer image on a display background, which pointer image moves to sometimes point to and intersect the index image while leaving a non-overlapped portion of the index image on at least one side of the pointer image displayed in the background; and

a controller configured to control the display panel to display the instrument image, wherein;

the controller is configured to provide an overlap display when positions associated with the index image and the pointer image coincide and where said non-overlapped portion of the index image continues to be displayed on the background,

the overlap display being provided so that white the pointer image is displayed as continuous in its longitudinal direction, the pointer image has a predetermined peripheral portion display section on a periphery of the index image overlapped with the pointer image and on opposite sides of the index image with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pointer image, and at least one of hue and brightness of (a) the index image, (b) the predetermined peripheral portion display section of the pointer image, (c) the remainder of the pointer image, and (d) the background are all displayed differently from each other so that the entirety of the pointer image is distinctively displayed with respect to both the index image and the background image.

3. The vehicular instrument display device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined peripheral portion display section of the pointer image has a brightness between that of the background and that of the remainder of the pointer image.

4. The vehicular instrument display device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined peripheral portion display section of the pointer image has a hue between that of the background and that of the remainder of the pointer image.

5. The vehicular instrument display device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined peripheral portion display section of the pointer image has substantially a middle brightness between that of the background and that of the remainder of the pointer image.

6. The vehicular instrument display device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined peripheral portion display section of the pointer image has substantially a middle hue between that of the background and that of the remainder of the pointer image.

7. The vehicular instrument display device according to claim 2, wherein a brightness of the predetermined peripheral portion display section of the pointer image gradually varies from opposite ends of the predetermined peripheral portion display section toward a center thereof from a brightness of the remainder of the pointer image to a brightness of the background.

8. The vehicular instrument display device as in claim 2, wherein an outline of the pointer image adjoins an outline of the index image when the overlap display is provided.

9. A vehicular instrument display device comprising:

a vehicle display panel and an associated controller connected thereto configured to display an instrument image to a vehicle driver including an index image and an elongated pointer image on a display background, wherein at least one of the pointer and index images is movable relative to the other to create an overlap display when and where the pointer and index images overlap each other while leaving a non-overlapped portion of the index image on at least one side of the pointer image displayed in the background,

wherein said overlap display comprises;

a peripheral portion overlap section of the elongated pointer image displayed with at least one of its hue and brightness being substantially different from that of at least one remaining non-overlapped adjacent portion of the pointer image while the pointer image continues to be displayed as being continuous in its longitudinal direction; and

the overlapped index image displayed with at least one of its hue and brightness being substantially different from that of said section of the elongated pointer and where a non-overlapped portion of the index image continues to be displayed on the background,

wherein (a) the peripheral portion overlap section of the pointer image, (b) the remainder of the pointer image, (c) the index image, and (d) the background are each displayed differently from one another in at least one of hue and brightness, so that the entirety of the pointer image is distinctively displayed with respect to the index image and the background in at least one of hue and brightness.

10. The vehicular instrument display device as in claim 9, wherein the overlapped index image is displayed in its entirety with substantially the same hue and brightness as other non-overlapped index images also concurrently displayed within said instrument image.

11. The vehicular instrument display device as in claim 9, wherein said peripheral portion overlap section of the elongated pointer image is displayed with changes in at least one of hue and brightness as a function of distance within said section.

12. The vehicular instrument display device as in claim 9, wherein an outline of the pointer image adjoins an outline of the index image when the overlap display is provided.