Onboard display system

• US 9,740,449 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Takagi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/648,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/52 Control of displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players

Abstract

An onboard display system includes two display groups; each display group includes a display apparatus and a control apparatus. The first control apparatus of the first display group includes the following: a first state acquisition section that acquires a first operating state of the first control apparatus itself; a second state acquisition section that acquires a second operating state of the second control apparatus of the second display group; a state determination section that determines whether a display prioritization state takes place based on the first operating state and the second operating state; and an image update section that updates, in chronological order, images in a video displayed in the first display apparatus of the first display group when the display prioritization state takes place or that suspends the updating when the display prioritization state does not take place.

Claims

1. An onboard display system including at least two control apparatuses, each control apparatus being connected to a display apparatus via a video line that transmits a video signal, each control apparatus achieving (i) a display function that displays a video based on the video signal and (ii) a non-display function that is at least one function different from the display function,

a first control apparatus being any one of the at least two control apparatuses,

the first control apparatus achieving the display function by executing a video output command that is previously prepared to include an image group of images that are displayed one by one in chronological order, the video output command serving as a command outputting the image group as a video,

the first control apparatus comprising:

a first state acquisition section that acquires a first operating state that is an operating state of the first control apparatus itself;

a first state output section that outputs the first operating state acquired by the first state acquisition section to a second control apparatus via an onboard line that is a transmission line transmitting a signal, the second control apparatus being any one of the at least two control apparatuses excluding the first control apparatus, the second control apparatus being provided as an independent body separated from the first control apparatus and connected with the first control apparatus via the onboard line;

a second state acquisition section that acquires a second operating state that is an operating state of the second control apparatus;

a state determination section that determines whether a display prioritization state or a non-display prioritization state takes place,

the display prioritization state taking place when both the first operating state and the second operating state prioritize realization of the display function over realization of the non-display function,

the non-display prioritization state taking place when at least one of the first operating state and the second operating state prioritizes realization of the non-display function over realization of the display function; and

an image update section that performs an image update control,

the image update control executing an update of the images, which are included in the video displayed in the display apparatus in chronological order when the state determination section determines that the display prioritization state takes place,

the image update control suspending the update of the images when the state determination section determines that the non-display prioritization state takes place.

2. The onboard display system according to claim 1, wherein:

the state determination section determines whether the display prioritization state or the non-display prioritization state takes place with predetermined time intervals; and

the image update section performs the image update control each time the state determination section determines whether the display prioritization state or the non-display prioritization state takes place.

3. The onboard display system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first control apparatus further comprises a time acquisition section that acquires a present clock time that is a clock time at present;

the state determination section determines whether the display prioritization state or the non-display prioritization state takes place each time the present clock time acquired by the time acquisition section reaches a predetermined clock time; and

the image update section performs the image update control each time the state determination section determines whether the display prioritization state or the non-display prioritization state takes place.

4. An onboard display system including at least two control apparatuses that are connected via an onboard line that is a transmission line transmitting a signal, each control apparatus being connected to a display apparatus via a video line which transmits a video signal,

each control apparatus achieving a display function that displays a video based on the video signal and a non-display function that is at least one function different from the display function,

each control apparatus achieving the display function by

executing a video output command that is previously prepared to include (i) an image group of images and (ii) a display priority level indicating a degree of a priority of each of the images against the realization of the non-display function, the images being displayed one by one in chronological order, the video output command serving as a as a command that outputs the image group as a video and

updating the images each time a predetermined clock time comes,

each control apparatus comprising:

a video interpretation section that acquires the video output command and determines whether a display prioritization state takes place or not based on a result of analyzing the acquired video output command, the display prioritization state taking place when realization of the display function is prioritized over realization of the non-display function; and

a function control section that performs a display prioritization control, wherein when the video interpretation section determines that the display prioritization state takes place, the display prioritization control suppresses realization of the non-display function while securing a resource necessary for realization of the display function to realize the display function preferentially.

5. The onboard display system according to claim 4, wherein:

the image interpretation section determines whether the display prioritization state takes place on basis of a whole of the video output command.

6. The onboard display system according to claim 4, wherein:

the image interpretation section determines whether the display prioritization state takes place on basis of each of the images in the video output command.

7. The onboard display system according to claim 6, wherein:

the at least two control apparatuses include a relation of a master and a slave;

the control apparatus serving as the master among the at least two control apparatuses is defined as a primary control apparatus;

the control apparatus serving as the slave among the at least two control apparatuses is defined as a secondary control apparatus;

the primary control apparatus comprises a beginning output section that outputs a beginning signal, which indicates a start of the display prioritization control, to the secondary control apparatus when the video interpretation section of the primary control apparatus determines that the display prioritization state takes place, while the function control section of the secondary control apparatus starts implementation of the display prioritization control when receiving the beginning signal from the beginning output section of the primary control apparatus; and

the secondary control apparatus comprises an ending output section that outputs an ending signal, which indicates an end of the display prioritization control, to the primary control apparatus when the display prioritization state ends, while the function control section of the primary control apparatus ends the implementation of the display prioritization control when acquiring the ending signal from the ending output section of the secondary control apparatus.

8. The onboard display system according to claim 7, wherein:

the display priority level is an index which indicates a degree of prioritizing realization of the display function over realization of the non-display function with respect to each of the images;

the beginning output section regards a first time point as an output time point of the beginning signal, the first time point being a time point when the degree of the display priority level becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value first in the video output command;

the ending output section regards a last time point as an output time point of the ending signal, the last time point being a time point when the degree of the display priority level becomes less than the predetermined threshold value last in the video output command.

9. The onboard display system according to claim 8, wherein:

in cases where, in the video output command, mutually different degrees of the display priority level that are equal to or higher than the predetermined value are assigned to a plurality of images arrayed continuously in chronological order,

the video interpretation section determines whether the display prioritization state takes place or not based on the display priority level indicating the degree that is lowest in the mutually different degrees assigned to the plurality of images.

10. The onboard display system according to claim 7, wherein:

the display priority level is an index which indicates a degree of prioritizing realization of the display function over realization of the non-display function with respect to each of the images;

the beginning output section regards, as an output time point of the beginning signal, each time point at which the degree of the display priority level becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value; and

the ending output section regards as an output time point of the ending signal, each time point at which the degree of the display priority level becomes less than the predetermined threshold value.