Automotive information display apparatus

• US 5,371,510 A
• Filed: 11/26/1991
• Issued: 12/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Tetsuya, Esaki, Motoharu, Miyauchi, Kunihiro, Aono, Masaji, Fujimori, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Assistant Examiner(s): MENGISTU, AMARE
• Application Number:
  US07/798,178
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 340/705, 340/980, 359/13, 359/630, 359/632, 345/7, 345/9, 345/8
• US Class Current: 345/7
• 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: B60Q 3/16 Circuits; Control arrangements

Abstract

An automotive display apparatus displays synthetically an ordinary information like a vehicle speed value and a warning information like a remaining fuel amount by using a half mirror as a close range view and a distant range view. A control means determines contents of the ordinary information and the warning information on the basis of input signals from a plurality of sensors. When the warning information is displayed, the warning information is provided at a position that the warning information overlaps with the ordinary information in the line direction of a driver'"'"'s sight and the warning information is away from the ordinary information by a predetermined distance to enable the driver to notice and observe the warning information easily. At the same time, the ordinary information at the overlap portion of the ordinary and warning information in the line direction of the driver'"'"'s sight is inhibited from being displayed.

Claims

1. An automotive displaying apparatus, comprising:

displaying means for producing first information and for producing second information, said displaying means including a dot matrix display which is disposed with an information face thereof directed downwardly and horizontally;

reflecting and transmitting means for displaying to an operator of the automotive vehicle said first information as a view from a close range and displaying said second information to the operator as a view from a distant range, said reflecting and transmitting means reflecting and transmitting said information of said information face so that said information is observed visually by said driver; and

controlling means, connected to receive information from a plurality of sensors, for determining whether said information includes ordinary information and whether said information includes warning information, and for outputting signals to display said ordinary information and said warning information, when respectively present, on said displaying means;

wherein said controlling means controls said displaying means such that;

     1) said ordinary information is normally displayed at a first location in a line of the operator'"'"'s sight, at a first range which is one of said close range and said distant range view displays,

     2) when said warning information is determined, said warning information is displayed at said first location in a line of said driver'"'"'s sight to overlap with said ordinary information at a second range, which second range is the other of said close range and distant range view displays than said first range and

     3) said ordinary information at an overlap portion of said ordinary and warning information, where said ordinary and said warning information would overlap in the line of said operator'"'"'s sight, is inhibited from being displayed but other ordinary information which does not overlap is not inhibited from being displayed,

wherein said displaying means produces a first image and a second image, and said reflecting and transmitting means comprises a total reflection mirror in a position to totally reflect said first image as said distant range view and a half mirror located in a position to reflect said second image as a close range view and to pass said distant range view reflected by said total reflection mirror so that both of said views are combined.

2. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ordinary information includes a bar graph and said warning information includes a pictorial symbol.

3. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ordinary information is displayed at said distant range view display and said warning information is displayed at said close range view display.

4. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said displaying means includes a dot matrix display which is disposed with an information face thereof directed to said driver and said reflecting and transmitting means reflects and transmits said information of said information face so that said information is observed visually by said driver.

5. An automotive displaying apparatus, comprising:

displaying means for producing first information and for producing second information;

reflecting and transmitting means for displaying to an operator of the automotive vehicle said first information as a view from a close range and displaying said second information to the operator as a view from a distant range; and

controlling means, connected to receive information from a plurality of sensors, for determining whether said information includes ordinary information and whether said information includes warning information, and for outputting signals to display said ordinary information and said warning information on said displaying means;

wherein said controlling means controls said displaying means such that;

     1) said ordinary information is normally displayed at a first location in a line of the operator'"'"'s sight, at a first range which is one of said close range and said distant range view displays,

     2) when said warning information is determined, said warning information is displayed at said first location in a line of said driver'"'"'s sight to overlap with said ordinary information at a second range, which second range is the other of said close range and distant range view displays than said first range and

     3) said ordinary information at an overlap portion of said ordinary and warning information, where said ordinary and said warning information would overlap in the line of said operator'"'"'s sight, is inhibited from being displayed but other ordinary information which does not overlap is not inhibited from being displayed,

wherein said displaying means includes a light emitting pointer which is movable, and which allows a whole thereof, or a position thereof, to be lit, a position of said lighting emitting pointer indicating only said ordinary information when a whole length of said light emitting pointer is lit, and a digital display which displays said warning information and, when said warning information is displayed, only an end of said pointer and not the whole length of the pointer emits light and said warning information is displayed on said digital display at a position which overlaps a portion of said pointer which does not emit light.

6. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said light emitting pointer is disposed behind a half mirror serving as said reflecting and transmitting means so that said pointer is observed visually through said half mirror by said driver while said digital display is disposed above said half mirror so that said warning information is reflected by said half mirror and is observed visually by said driver.

7. An automotive display apparatus, comprising:

a first display unit having a rotatable light emitting pointer whose position is moved to indicate ordinary information, said pointer being illuminated along its entire length when indicating ordinary information, and being illuminated only at its end and not along its entire length when indicating warning information;

a half mirror disposed in front of said first display unit such that a reflecting face thereof is inclined to a direction of an operator of the automotive vehicle'"'"'s sight by a predetermined angle;

a second display unit disposed above said half mirror with an information displaying face thereof directed downwardly toward said half mirror for displaying warning information so that said operator can observe visually said warning information which is reflected by said half mirror, said warning information displayed at a position overlapping a part of said pointer which is not illuminated during display of warning information; and

display control means for outputting a signal to said second display unit for displaying said warning information and a signal to said first display unit for controlling said light emitting pointer to light its entire length when no warning information is displayed and to light only part of said light emitting pointer when said warning information is displayed on said second display unit.

8. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said display control means controls said second display unit such that said ordinary information is displayed on said second display unit when said warning information is not displayed on said second display unit.

9. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said warning information displayed on said second display unit represents a condition that a remaining fuel amount is small and said ordinary information displayed by said first display unit is a vehicle speed.

10. An automotive displaying apparatus, comprising:

a display element, facing in a first direction, and driven to produce a first image in a first location thereof, and a second image in a second location thereof, said second location being closer to an observer than said first location;

a total reflection mirror, located in a position facing said first location of said display element to totally reflect said first image as a distant range view to an observer;

a half mirror located in a position between said total reflection mirror and said observer, and located in a position facing said second location of said display element to reflect said second image as a close range view to an observer and to pass said distant range view reflected by said total reflection mirror, so that said close range view and said distant range view are combined; and

controlling means, connected to receive information from a plurality of sensors, for determining whether said information includes ordinary information and whether said information includes warning information, and for outputting signals to display said ordinary information and warning information on said displaying means,

wherein said controlling means controls said display element such that;

     1) said ordinary information is normally displayed at a first location in a line of the operator'"'"'s sight, at a first range which is one of said close range and distant range view displays,

     2) when said warning information is determined, said warning information is displayed at said first location in a line of said driver'"'"'s sight to overlap with said ordinary information at a second range, which second range is the other of said close range and distant range view displays than said first range and

     3) said ordinary information at an overlap portion of said ordinary and warning information, where said ordinary and said warning information would overlap in the line of said operator'"'"'s sight, is inhibited from being displayed but other ordinary information which does not overlap is not inhibited.

11. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said ordinary information includes a bar graph and said warning information includes a pictorial symbol.

12. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said ordinary information is displayed at said distant range view display and said warning information is displayed at said close range view display.

13. An automotive display apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said displaying means includes a dot matrix display which is disposed with an information face thereof directed to said driver and said reflecting and transmitting means reflects and transmits said information of said information face so that said information is observed visually by said driver.