Information displaying apparatus for a vehicle

• US 20040189546A1
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Inventors: Sumiyoshi, Kenjiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,511,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/27 using semi-transparent optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/154 Combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/155 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/27 using semi-transparent optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/215 characterised by the combination of multiple visual outputs, e.g. combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
• 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: B60K 37/02 Arrangement of instruments arrangement of lighting devices for dashboards B60Q3/10

Abstract

The present invention is an information displaying apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a cluster disposed to be faced to an occupant; and a display device disposed in the cluster; the display device includes a displaying surface on which information on the vehicle is displayed, and a plurality of reflecting mirror members which have a distance from each other and disposed forward of the occupant, for allowing the occupant to see the vehicle information by reflecting the vehicle information displayed on the displaying surface, wherein the vehicle information reflected by a reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant is configured to be visible by the occupant by transmitting a reflecting mirror member provided near to the occupant, and an area where does not overlap with the vehicle information reflected by the reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant is provided at a proximity of periphery of the reflecting mirror member provided near to the occupant.

Claims

1. An information displaying apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a cluster disposed to be faced to an occupant; and

a display device disposed in said cluster;

said display device including a displaying surface on which information on the vehicle is displayed, and a plurality of reflecting mirror members having a distance from each other and disposed forward of the occupant, for allowing the occupant to see said vehicle information by reflecting the vehicle information displayed on said displaying surface,

wherein said vehicle information reflected by a reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant is configured to be visible by the occupant by transmitting a reflecting mirror member provided near to the occupant, and

an area where does not overlap with said vehicle information reflected by said reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant is provided at a proximity of periphery of said reflecting mirror member provided near to the occupant.

2. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least three reflecting mirror members are provided, and at least two mirror members provided near to the occupant are half-mirror members.

3. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a control in displaying is carried out in said displaying surface so that a vehicle information display is reflected and displayed at substantially center of the reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant, and so that an other vehicle information display is reflected and displayed at the proximity of periphery of a reflecting mirror member provided nearer to the occupant than the reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant at a position where does not overlap with said vehicle information display.

4. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said other vehicle information display is a warning display.

5. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said other vehicle information display is a direction-indicating display.

6. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said other vehicle information display is a display for notifying approaching of ETC for notifying that the vehicle approaches to a gate of ETC, and the ETC approximation-notification display is reflected and displayed on the reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant when the ETC gate is far away from the vehicle, and the ETC approximation-notification display is reflected and displayed on the reflecting mirror member provided near to the occupant when the vehicle approaches toward the ETC gate.

7. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said other vehicle information display is a display for notifying approaching of ETC for notifying that the vehicle approaches to a gate of ETC, and the ETC approximation-notification display is displayed relatively small when the ETC gate is far away from the vehicle, and the ETC approximation-notification display is displayed, when the vehicle approaches toward the ETC gate, larger than displaying of the ETC approximation-notification display when the ETC gate is far away.

8. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising eyepoint detecting means for detecting an eyepoint of the occupant, wherein a display position of said vehicle information display or said other vehicle information display is changed according to a movement of the eyepoint.

9. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a rotational lid member for opening and closing an area, where located at front of the vehicle, of said cluster;

and a cover member provided in said cluster,

wherein the vehicle information displayed on said displaying surface is projected on a front window panel by erecting said reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant and the rotational lid member, and by covering along a back surface of the reflecting mirror member located near to the occupant, which is most adjacent to the reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant, by said cover member.

10. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising an interlocking mechanism for interlocking an erecting operation of said reflecting mirror member provided far from the occupant and a covering operation of said cover member.

11. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising a driving means for carrying out an erecting operation of said reflecting mirror member and headlight lighting means for carrying out a lighting operation of a headlight;

said driving means is connected with said headlight lighting means,

wherein the erecting operation of said reflecting mirror member is carried out by lighting of said headlight.

12. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising a driving means for carrying out the erecting operation of said reflecting mirror member and headlight lighting means for carrying out a lighting operation of a headlight;

said driving means is connected with said headlight lighting means,

wherein the erecting operation of said reflecting mirror member is carried out by lighting of said headlight.

13. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a backlight-light source provided at a back surface of said display device,

wherein an amount of light in lighting of said backlight-light source is configured to be changeably set corresponding to said respective reflecting mirror members.

14. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 13, wherein a luminance, which fades when transmitting through the reflecting mirror located near to the occupant, of displaying which is displayed on said displaying surface and reflected by the reflecting mirror member located far from the occupant, is compensated by said backlight-light source, by increasing the amount of light in lighting of an area within the backlight-light source where corresponds to said reflecting mirror member located far from the occupant.

15. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the amount of light in lighting of an area where corresponds to a reflecting mirror member on which vehicle information, which is to be displayed on said displaying surface and which is to be emphasized, is increased more than an area where corresponds to other reflecting mirror member, by said backlight-lighting source.

16. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the amount of light in lighting of an area where corresponds to a reflecting mirror member on which vehicle information, which is to be displayed on said displaying surface and which is to be emphasized, is increased more than an area where corresponds to other reflecting mirror member, by said backlight-lighting source.

17. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 13, wherein a luminance in displaying, displayed on the displaying surface of said display device is changed in accordance with a change in the amount of light in the lighting of said backlight-light source.