Information displaying apparatus for a vehicle

• US 7,511,683 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Inventors: Sumiyoshi, Kenjiro
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US10/810,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20040189546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 345/634, 345630-633, 345/629, 345/635, 345/636, 345/13, 359/630, 359/632, 359/14, 359/28, 359/29, 353/14, 353/28, 353/29
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/27 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

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 face an occupant;

a display device disposed in said cluster;

a display controlling portion configured to control said display device, said display device including a displaying surface which displays vehicle information; and

a plurality of reflecting mirror members which are disposed in said cluster and are disposed to have a distance from each other, said vehicle information being reflected by the plurality of reflecting mirror members to be visible by the occupant, the plurality of reflecting mirror members including at least a first reflecting mirror member which is provided far from the occupant, a second reflecting mirror member which is provided nearer to the occupant than the first reflecting mirror member, and a third reflecting mirror member which is provided nearer to the occupant than the second reflecting mirror member, and the vehicle information reflected by the first reflecting mirror member being visible by the occupant by being transmitted through the second and third reflecting mirror members;

wherein the vehicle information includes a diagram to call attention of the occupant; and

wherein said display controlling portion controls the display device such that the diagram reflected by the first reflecting mirror member is sequentially changed to the diagram, reflected by the second and third reflecting mirror members as a warning display when there is a necessity of calling the occupant'"'"'s attention.

2. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least two mirror members of the at least three reflecting mirror members of the plurality of reflecting mirror members, which are 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 one of the plurality of the reflecting mirror members, which is provided far from the occupant, and so that another vehicle information display is reflected and displayed at the proximity of periphery of left and right edges of another one of the plurality of reflecting mirror members, which is provided near to the occupant at a position which does not overlap with said vehicle information display.

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

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

and the direction-indicating display is reflected by at least one of the plurality of reflecting mirror members.

6. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the diagram is said another vehicle information display, said another vehicle information display is a display configured to notify approaching of ETC to notify that the vehicle approaches to a gate of ETC, and the ETC approximation-notification display is reflected and displayed on the first reflecting mirror member when the ETC gate is far away from the vehicle, and the ETC approximation-notification display is sequentially reflected and displayed on the second and third reflecting mirror member when the vehicle approaches toward the ETC gate.

7. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the diagram is said another vehicle information display, said another vehicle information display is a display configured to notify approaching of ETC to notify 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 an eyepoint detecting device configured to detect an eyepoint of the occupant, wherein a display position of said vehicle information display or said another 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 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;

and

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.

10. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein a luminance, which fades when transmitting through at least one of the plurality of reflecting mirror members, which is disposed near to the occupant, of displaying which is displayed on said displaying surface and reflected by another one of the plurality of reflecting mirror members, which is disposed 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, which corresponds to said another one of the plurality of reflecting mirror members.

11. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the amount of light in lighting of an area which corresponds to one of the plurality of reflecting mirror members on which the vehicle information is displayed, the vehicle information being to be displayed on said displaying surface and being to be emphasized, is increased more than an area which corresponds to another one of the plurality of reflecting mirror members, by said backlight-lighting source.

12. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said displaying surface includes a plurality of areas, each of which is disposed to correspond to each of the plurality of reflecting mirror members to display vehicle information.

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

a cluster disposed to face an occupant;

a display device disposed in said cluster;

a display controlling portion configured to control said display device, said display device including a displaying surface which displays vehicle information;

a plurality of reflecting mirror members which are disposed in said cluster and are disposed to have a distance from each other, said vehicle information being reflected by the plurality of reflecting mirror members to be visible by the occupant, the plurality of reflecting mirror members including a first reflecting mirror member which is provided far from the occupant and a second reflecting mirror member which is provided near to the occupant, and the vehicle information reflected by the first reflecting mirror member being visible by the occupant by being transmitted through the second reflecting mirror member;

a rotational lid member configured to open and close an area, where located at front of the vehicle, of said cluster, and a cover member provided in said cluster, the vehicle information displayed on the displaying surface being projected on a front window panel by erecting said first reflecting mirror member and the rotational lid member, and by covering along a back surface of the second reflecting mirror member, which is most adjacent to the first reflecting mirror member, by said cover member;

a driving device configured to carry out an erecting operation of said first reflecting mirror member; and

a headlight lighting device configured to carry out a lighting operation of a headlight, wherein said driving device is connected with said headlight lighting device, the erecting operation of said first reflecting mirror member is carried out by lighting of said headlight.

14. The information displaying apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising an interlocking mechanism configured to interlock an erecting operation of said first reflecting mirror member and a covering operation of said cover member.