On-board display control device and on-board display control method

• US 9,452,676 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Oba, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US14/045,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20140118133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/214 Variable gauge scales, e.g. scale enlargement to adapt to maximum driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• 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

On-board display control methods and systems are provided. In one implementation for displaying speedometer information and miscellaneous information on an instrument panel display, a nonuse region determination unit of an on-board display control device determines a nonuse speed region in a speedometer in accordance with a traveling status of a vehicle. A display control unit of the on-board display control device then exercises control such that an enlarged view of the miscellaneous information is displayed over the nonuse speed region when the nonuse region determination unit determines that there is the nonuse speech region.

Claims

1. An on-board display control device configured to display speedometer information and miscellaneous information on an instrument panel display (“

IP display”

) of a vehicle, the control device comprising;

a nonuse region determination unit configured to determine a nonuse speed region in a speedometer based on a speed of a vehicle; and

a display control unit configured to exercise control such that an enlarged view of the miscellaneous information is displayed over the nonuse speed region when the nonuse region determination unit determines that there is the nonuse speed region in the speedometer;

wherein the nonuse region determination unit is configured to determine when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a first predetermined speed V1 for a predetermined time period, that a region extending from a second predetermined speed V2 toward a higher speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region, where the first predetermined speed V1 is less than the second predetermined speed V2.

2. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the nonuse region determination unit is further configured to determine when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a third predetermined speed V3 for a predetermined time period, that a region extending from a fourth predetermined speed V4 toward a lower speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region, where the third predetermined speed V3 is greater than or equal to the fourth predetermined speed V4.

3. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the nonuse region determination unit is further configured to determine when the vehicle is traveling on a road with a speed limit equal to or lower than a third predetermined speed V3, that a region extending from a fourth predetermined speed V4 toward a higher speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region, where the third predetermined speed V3 is less than or equal to the fourth predetermined speed V4.

4. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the nonuse region determination unit is further configured to determine when the vehicle is traveling on a road with a speed limit equal to or higher than a third predetermined speed V3, that a region extending from a fourth predetermined speed V4 toward a lower speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region, where the third predetermined speed V3 is greater than or equal to the fourth predetermined speed V4.

5. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the nonuse region determination unit is further configured to determine when the vehicle is traveling on a road with a low speed limit, that a region extending from a third predetermined speed toward a higher speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region.

6. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the nonuse region determination unit is further configured to determine when the vehicle is traveling on a freeway, that a region extending from a third predetermined speed toward a lower speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region.

7. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the nonuse region determination unit is further configured to determine when the vehicle is traveling through traffic congestion, that a region extending from third a predetermined speed toward a higher speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region.

8. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the nonuse region determination unit is further configured to determine when the vehicle is traveling backward, that a region extending from a third predetermined speed toward a higher speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region.

9. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to exercise control such that, when the enlarged view of the miscellaneous information is displayed over the nonuse speed region, the speedometer information in the nonuse speed region is not displayed, and the speedometer information in a use speed region, which is outside the nonuse speed region, is displayed without a change to a prearranged state and a display mode.

10. The on-board display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to exercise control such that, when the enlarged view of the miscellaneous information is displayed over the nonuse speed region, the speedometer information is displayed with changes to an upper limit value or a lower limit value, and is displayed with mutual intervals of a plurality of scales indicating speeds of the speedometer from prearranged states.

11. An on-board display control method for displaying speedometer information and miscellaneous information on an instrument panel display (“

IP display”

) of a vehicle, the method comprising, in sequence;

determining, by a nonuse region determination unit of an on-board display control device, a nonuse speed region in a speedometer based on a speed of a vehicle, wherein when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a first predetermined speed V1 for a predetermined time period, the nonuse region determination unit determines that a region extending from a second predetermined speed V2 toward a higher speed in the speedometer is the nonuse speed region, where the first predetermined speed V1 is less than the second predetermined speed V2; and

exercising control, by a display control unit of the on-board display control device, such that an enlarged view of the miscellaneous information is displayed over the nonuse speed region when the nonuse region determination unit determines that there is the nonuse speed region in the speedometer.