Automobile screen control apparatus

• US 5,796,350 A
• Filed: 03/04/1997
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fuse, Hidefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US08/810,471
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.4, 340/815.75, 340/461, 340/705, 340/980, 340/901, 340/905, 340/933, 340/439, 340/505, 250/222.1, 307/10.1, 345/7.8, 345/9
• US Class Current: 340/815.75
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles

Abstract

A display (4) has its representation made by brightness of a backlight (7). A left flasher (SW 1) and a lighting (SW 3) supply on/off information to a dimming judgement unit (9). The dimming judgement unit (9) determines that when the lighting (SW 3) is turned on the environment is dark, and detects that a vehicle is going to make a left turn when the left flasher (SW 1) is turned on. It is further assumed according to the left turn of the vehicle that the driver'"'"'s line of sight is turned to the left, and luminance of the backlight (7) is lowered. It is thus possible to prevent driver annoyance with a bright display (4), even when the display (4) comes within the driver'"'"'s line of sight.

Claims

1. An automobile screen control apparatus for controlling the screen of a display which is mounted on an automobile to show various types of information, the apparatus comprising:

means for predicting directional motion of a driver'"'"'s sight;

means for judging whether or not the display comes within the driver'"'"'s line of sight in response to the predicted directional motion of the driver'"'"'s sight; and

means for making the screen of the display inconspicuous when it is judged that the display comes within the driver'"'"'s line of sight.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control apparatus lowers the luminance of the display when it is judged that the display comes within the drivers line of sight.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further having a brightness detector for detecting brightness of the environment, wherein said control apparatus makes the screen of the display inconspicuous based on the result detected by the brightness detector.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said brightness detector detects brightness or darkness according to whether head lamps are on or off.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said brightness detector is an illumination sensor for detecting brightness.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, determines whether the display comes within sight of the driver based on the result detected whether or not there is an obstacle ahead of the automobile and in the direction where the display is mounted when viewed from the driver.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driver'"'"'s line of sight is predicted according to whether a turn signal flasher is turned on.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 further having a steering angle sensor for a steering wheel, wherein the driver'"'"'s line of sight is predicted according to a turn signal lamp which is on and the state of the steering wheel.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 further having a yaw rate sensor for detecting a yaw rate of the automobile, wherein the driver'"'"'s line of sight is predicted according to the result detected by the yaw rate sensor.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 further having a transverse acceleration sensor for detecting a transverse acceleration of the automobile, wherein the driver'"'"'s line of sight is predicted according to the result detected by the transverse acceleration sensor.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 further having an eye camera for taking a picture of the driver'"'"'s eyes, and the driver'"'"'s line of sight is predicted according to the pictured result of the eye camera.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 further having a vehicle speed detector for detecting the vehicle speed, wherein the display is prohibited from being changed to an inconspicuous state when it is determined that the vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined value.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus judges urgency of the content indicated on the display and prohibits the display from being changed to an inconspicuous state when it is determined that the urgency is high.

14. An apparatus for controlling the screen of the display which is mounted on a vehicle to show various types of information, comprising:

brightness judging means for judging brightness of the environment,

sight predicting means for predicting whether the display screen is within the driver'"'"'s sight,

judging means for judging prominence of the display according to the judged result by said brightness judging means and the predicted result by said sight predicting means, and

screen control means for making the screen of the display inconspicuous when it is determined by the judging means that the display is conspicuous and within the driver'"'"'s line of sight.