On-vehicle display device

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device for an automobile navigation system or an in-vehicle television system.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

In-vehicle television devices using liquid crystal displays are being installed in luxury cars and the like. A liquid crystal display is used for displaying an image of this television device, and is generally installed at the lower part of a center console or the like. In addition, car navigation systems are now being installed in some vehicles. This car navigation system normally displays an image showing the current position on the display for the television.

【0003】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

The display is placed at the bottom of the center console or the like as described above. When watching TV, the driver generally sees the image on the display while the vehicle is stopped, so there is no particular inconvenience even if it is placed at the bottom of the center console or the like. However, when this display is used for the image display of the car navigation system, when the driver tries to confirm the current position while driving, it is necessary to drop the line of sight toward the front of the vehicle to the display of the center console. Therefore, not only is it difficult to see the image displayed on the display due to the large movement of the line of sight, but also the safety confirmation in front is neglected, which is extremely dangerous.

【0004】

Therefore, the present inventor has devised to place a display on the upper part of the dashboard so that the movement of the line of sight during driving can be minimized and the navigation display can be visually recognized while checking the front of the vehicle. However, in this case, the problem is that the dashboard reaches a very high temperature due to the sunlight passing through the front window. That is, since the heat resistance of the liquid crystal display is low (60 ° C for normal liquid crystal and 85 ° C for in-vehicle use), it was expected that thermal destruction would occur.

【0005】

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle display device that can display an image above a dashboard and does not cause a failure. There is.

【0006】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the in-vehicle display device of the present invention has an openable and closable lid made of a heat insulating material placed on the top of the dashboard, and below the lid and in the dashboard. The arranged liquid crystal display, the drive mechanism that opens the lid and pushes up the liquid crystal display, and the drive mechanism are controlled to push up the liquid crystal display and project it from the top of the dashboard when the vehicle is not in use. It is characterized by having a control device for accommodating the liquid crystal display in the dashboard.

【0007】

Further, in a preferred embodiment, the in-vehicle display device of the present invention extends the end of the lid on the liquid crystal display side beyond the liquid crystal display, and also extends the lid in the direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal display. A light-shielding side wall of the liquid crystal display is attached to both ends of the liquid crystal display.

【0008】

Further, the in-vehicle display device of the present invention is characterized in that, in a preferred embodiment, the control device controls the drive device by turning off the ignition switch to accommodate the liquid crystal display in the dashboard.

【0009】

[Action effect]

In the in-vehicle display device configured as described above, the control device that controls the drive device projects the liquid crystal display from the top of the dashboard when the vehicle is used. Therefore, the driver can visually recognize the image of the liquid crystal display located above the dashboard while checking the front of the vehicle. In addition, when the vehicle is not in use, the control device accommodates the liquid crystal display in the dashboard by the drive device and positions the lid above the liquid crystal display, so that the lid is exposed to strong sunlight passing through the front window. When exposed, heat is not transferred to the liquid crystal display located below the lid made of heat insulating material. Therefore, it is possible to prevent thermal destruction of the liquid crystal display due to solar radiation.

【0010】

Further, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention extends the end of the lid on the liquid crystal display side beyond the liquid crystal display, and a light-shielding side wall is attached to the side of the lid. , Light from above and from the side is less likely to hit the surface of the liquid crystal display. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the screen from being difficult to see due to reflection of external light on the liquid crystal display.

【0011】

Further, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention accommodates the liquid crystal display in the dashboard by turning off the ignition switch of the vehicle, so that the liquid crystal display is reliably protected when the driving vehicle is separated from the vehicle and the vehicle interior becomes hot. can do.

【0012】

[Example]

Hereinafter, examples embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a dashboard in which an in-vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. This in-vehicle display device operates as a display for a car navigation system and can also be used as a display for an in-vehicle television device. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display 16 is configured to protrude from the top 50a of the dashboard 50. A heat-shielding lid 12 made of a heat-insulating resin is arranged on the upper part of the liquid crystal display 16, and a light-shielding side wall 14 attached to the lid 12 is arranged on the side. That is, the lid 12 acts to shield the liquid crystal display 16 from heat, the end portion 12a on the liquid crystal display side extends beyond the liquid crystal display 16, and the light from above is emitted from the surface of the liquid crystal display 16. Prevents the screen from becoming difficult to see due to reflection. Similarly, the side wall 14 prevents light from the side from hitting the surface of the liquid crystal display 16. An air conditioner outlet 18 is arranged below the liquid crystal display 16, and a center console 22 is attached below the air conditioner outlet 18.

【0013】

Next, the circuit configuration of the in-vehicle display device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The in-vehicle display device includes a navigation circuit 40 for finding the current position of the vehicle and displaying it on a map, a TV circuit 45 for receiving TV, and a pop-up operation and a cooling operation of the liquid crystal display 16 described later. Mainly consists of a control circuit 30 that performs the above. This control circuit 30 consists of a one-chip program IC, and on the input side, the a terminal connected to the ignition switch and the liquid crystal display 16 are always open for setting to keep the liquid crystal display 16 open while the ignition is on. It has a b terminal connected to a switch, a c terminal connected to a storage switch for closing the liquid crystal display 16 in an arbitrary state, and a d terminal connected to a display appearance switch for making the liquid crystal display 16 appear. .. In addition, as inputs, the h terminal connected to the switch of the air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as the air conditioner), the i terminal connected to the start switch of the cooler, and the j terminal connected to the individual cooling switch described later, It is equipped with a k terminal connected to a temperature adjustment switch for setting ON / OFF of automatic temperature adjustment of the liquid crystal display 16, and further, ON / OFF signals from the navigation circuit 40 and the TV circuit 45 are input. The e terminal, the f terminal into which the video signals from the navigation circuit 40 and the television circuit 45 are input, and the g terminal connected to the temperature sensor 20 attached to the liquid crystal display 16 are provided. On the other hand, on the output side, the x terminal connected to the first relay 32 for controlling the power to the motor M1 that pops up the liquid crystal display 16 and the power to the motors M2 and M3 that perform the cooling operation described later. It has y and z terminals connected to the 2nd and 3rd relays 34 and 36 for controlling.

【0014】

Here, the pop-up mechanism of the in-vehicle display device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway sectional view of the dashboard 50 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 (A) shows a state in which the liquid crystal display 16 is housed in the dashboard 50, and FIG. 3 (B). Shows the liquid crystal display 16 protruding from the dashboard 50. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the liquid crystal display 16 is housed in the dashboard 50, the lid 12 is closed so that the surface of the lid 12 and the surface of the dashboard 50 become flat. It is configured in. The lid body 12 is made of a plate-shaped member made of a heat insulating resin. A support piece 58 for supporting the upper part of the liquid crystal display 16 is erected on the lower surface of the lid 12, and a pin 56 attached to one end of the liquid crystal display 16 is inserted into a through hole 58a of the support piece. It has been inserted. A sliding member 62 fixed to the dashboard 50 side by a member (not shown) is arranged on the side of the liquid crystal display 16, and the other end of the liquid crystal display 16 is placed in the sliding hole 62a of the sliding member 62. The pin 60 attached to the part is inserted.

【0015】

Side walls 14 for shading the liquid crystal display are attached to the sides of the lid 12 (front side and back side in FIG. 3) (note that the side wall 14 is shown only on the back side for convenience of illustration). Please note that). A driven gear 54 pivotally supported by a shaft 64 fixed to the dashboard 50 side is attached to the left end of the lid 12 in the drawing. The driven gear 54 is arranged so as to mesh with the drive gear 52 on the motor M1 side.

【0016】

The motor M1 rotates normally by the potential from the first relay 32 shown in FIG. 2, rotates the drive gear 52 clockwise, and drives the lid 12 counterclockwise around the shaft 64 to open. At this time, the liquid crystal display 16 is pulled upward via the pin 56 supported by the support piece 58 of the lid 12. At this time, the other pin 60 of the liquid crystal display 16 slides in the sliding hole 62a of the sliding member 62 in the right direction in the drawing. The motor M1 is stopped by the action of a limit switch (not shown) in a state where the liquid crystal display 16 shown in FIG. 3 (B) is completely pushed up, and maintains this state.

【0017】

On the other hand, the motor M1 reverses due to the reverse potential applied from the first relay 32, rotates the drive gear 52 counterclockwise, drives the lid 12 clockwise around the shaft 64, and liquid crystal displays. Push down the display 16. The motor M1 is stopped by the action of a limit switch (not shown) in a state where the lid 12 shown in FIG. 3 (A) is completely closed, and maintains this state.

【0018】

Next, the mechanism for cooling the liquid crystal display 16 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the air duct 70 arranged in the dashboard 50 of FIG. The air duct 70 is divided into a first duct 70a for sending cold air to the liquid crystal display 16 side and a second duct 70b for blowing air to the outlet 18 side. At the branch position between the air duct 70 and the first duct 70a, a first switching plate 72 for sending cold air to the first duct 70a side is arranged. Further, at the branch position between the air duct 70 and the second duct 70b, a second switching plate 74 for sending cold air to the second duct 70b side is arranged. The first switching plate 72 is driven by the motor M2 (see FIG. 2) described above, and allows air to be blown to the liquid crystal display 16 side in the open state shown by the solid line in the figure, and conversely in the closed state shown by the dotted line. Prevents air from flowing into the liquid crystal display 16. Further, the second switching plate 74 is driven by the motor M3 described above, and allows air to be blown to the outlet 18 side in the open state shown by the solid line in the figure, and conversely, the outlet 18 is allowed to be blown to the outlet 18 side in the closed state shown by the dotted line. Prevents the cold air from blowing out. (Since the opening / closing mechanism of the first and second switching plates 72 and 74 is almost the same as the opening / closing mechanism of the lid 12 described above with reference to FIG. 3, the illustration and description thereof are omitted).

【0019】

Next, the remote control device of the navigation circuit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the remote control device 80. The remote control device 80 allows the driver to easily operate the navigation system while driving, and allows the occupant seated in the passenger seat or the rear seat to switch the navigation system. A switch 80a for turning on / off the circuit 40, a scroll switch 80b for scrolling the map created by the navigation circuit 40 up / down / left / right, and a function switch 80c for switching various functions are provided, and each of the above switches is pressed. And, it is configured to send an infrared signal to the receiver 42 (see FIG. 2) of the navigation circuit 40 mounted on the dashboard 50 side. When the on / off switch 80a is pressed once, the navigation circuit 40 is operated, and when the switch 80a is pressed once again, the navigation circuit 40 is stopped.

【0020】

Here, the control operation by the control circuit 30 shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 shows the main routine of the control circuit 30. The control circuit 30 constantly monitors whether or not the ignition is turned on by the input from the a terminal (S61). Then, when the ignition is turned on (Yes in S61), the pop-up routine described later is activated (S62), and further, the cooling routine is activated (S63). After that, it is determined whether or not the ignition is turned off (S64), and while the ignition is not turned off (No in S64), the above-mentioned pop-up routine (S62) and cooling routine (S63) are repeatedly started in a predetermined cycle. Then, when the ignition is turned off (Yes in S64), this main routine is terminated once, and monitoring for whether or not the ignition is turned on again is started (S61).

【0021】

Next, the pop-up routine activated in step 62 of the main routine described above will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the control circuit 30 determines whether or not the normally open switch is set by the operator to open the liquid crystal display 16 while the ignition is ON, based on the input from the b terminal shown in FIG. 2 ( S101). Here, if the normally open switch is ON (Yes in S101), the process proceeds to step 104, and the liquid crystal display 16 is immediately opened. That is, following the determination that the ignition is ON in step 61 of the main routine described above, a positive potential is applied to the motor M1 by the first relay 32 shown in FIG. 2, and the motor M1 is started to start FIG. 3 (B). ), The lid 12 is opened counterclockwise, and the liquid crystal display 16 is projected from the dashboard 50.

【0022】

On the other hand, if the normally open switch is not turned on (No in S101), the process proceeds to step 102, and the signal from the navigation circuit 40 is input from the e terminal to indicate whether the navigation circuit 40 is turned on. Judgment by (S102). For example, when the on / off switch 80a of the remote control device 80 described above is pressed with reference to FIG. 5, a signal is sent to the receiver 42 side shown in FIG. 2, and this is detected via the receiver 42. 40 starts operation and outputs a signal to the e terminal side of the control circuit 30. In response to this, the determination in step 102 of whether the navigation circuit is ON becomes Yes, and the process proceeds to step 104 to open the liquid crystal display 16. When the navigation circuit 40 is not turned on (No in S102), it is further determined whether the display appearance switch for making the liquid crystal display 16 appear is turned on (S103). Then, when the display appearance switch is turned on (Yes in S103), the liquid crystal display 16 is opened (S104). On the other hand, if the display appearance switch is not turned on (No in S103), the process proceeds to step 105.

【0023】

In this step 105, the control circuit 30 determines whether or not the storage switch has been turned on by the input from the c terminal. Here, when the retract switch is turned ON (Yes in S105), the liquid crystal display 16 is closed (S109). That is, the control circuit 30 applies a reverse potential to the motor M1 by the first relay 32 shown in FIG. 2, activates the motor M1, and closes the lid 12 clockwise as shown in FIG. 3 (A). , The liquid crystal display 16 is housed in the dashboard 50. On the other hand, unless the retract switch is turned ON (No in S105), the process proceeds to step 106 to determine whether the operation of the navigation circuit 40 has stopped. For example, when the navigation circuit 40 is turned off by the on / off switch 80a of the remote control device 80 described above (Yes in S106), the liquid crystal display 16 is closed (S109). Then, unless the navigation circuit 40 is turned off (No at 106), it is determined whether or not there is a video input within a certain period of time (S107). That is, the control circuit monitors the video signal applied to the liquid crystal display 16 from the navigation circuit 40 and the television circuit 45 via its f terminal, and there is no video input even after a certain period of time has passed since the pop-up routine was started. In other words, if nothing is displayed on the liquid crystal display 16 (Yes at 107), the liquid crystal display 16 is closed (S109). Further, if there is a video input before the elapse of a certain time, or before the elapse of the certain time (No in S107), it is determined whether the ignition is turned off (S108).

【0024】

Here, when the ignition is turned off (Yes in S108), the liquid crystal display 16 is immediately closed (S109). That is, when the ignition is turned off and the driving vehicle is separated from the vehicle and the temperature inside the vehicle becomes high, the liquid crystal display 16 is housed in the dashboard 50 for protection. In other words, as long as the ignition is turned on, there is a high probability that there will be an occupant in the car, and there is almost no possibility that the temperature will reach such a high temperature that the liquid crystal display 16 will be destroyed. When the ignition is not turned off (No in S108), the pop-up routine is temporarily terminated and the process returns to the main routine described above with reference to FIG.

【0025】

As described above, in this embodiment, various switches are provided, and the liquid crystal display 16 can be set to protrude from the dashboard 50 only when necessary so that desired information can be displayed, and the liquid crystal display 16 is dashed when it is not needed. It is ideal for display in car navigation systems because it fits inside the board 50 and does not interfere with driving visibility.

【0026】

Next, the cooling routine in step 63 of the main routine of FIG. 6 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the control circuit 30 determines whether or not the air conditioner is switched on by the input from the h terminal shown in FIG. 2 (S201). Here, when the air conditioner is switched on (Yes in S201), it is further determined whether or not the air conditioner is in the cooling state, that is, whether or not the cooler is activated (S202). If it is in the air-conditioned state (Yes in S202), then it is determined whether the LCD display 16 is open (protruding onto the dashboard 50) (S203). Here, when the liquid crystal display 16 is open (Yes in S203), that is, when the air conditioner is cooled and the liquid crystal display 16 is open, the process proceeds to step 204. On the other hand, when any of the above steps 201 to 203 is No, for example, when the inside of the vehicle is heated by the air conditioner, the process proceeds to step 212, it is determined whether the first switching plate 72 is open, and the first step is made. When the switching plate 72 is opened and warm air flows into the liquid crystal display 16 side (Yes in S212), the first switching plate 72 is closed (S211). On the other hand, when the first switching plate 72 is closed (No in S212), all the processing in the cooling routine is completed without cooling the liquid crystal display 16 described later.

【0027】

When the control circuit 30 determines that the display is open in step 203 described above, it determines whether or not the individual cooling switch described later is turned on (S204). Here, it is assumed that the individual cooling switch is not turned on (No in S204). Next, it is determined whether or not the temperature adjustment switch described later is turned off (S206). Here, it is assumed that the temperature control switch is not turned off (No in S206). After that, the control circuit 30 inputs a signal from the temperature sensor 20 (see FIG. 2) attached to the liquid crystal display 16 from the g terminal, and determines whether or not the liquid crystal display 16 is below the set temperature (40 degrees). (S208). That is, when the liquid crystal display 16 is 40 degrees or less, it is not necessary to cool it, and when it is excessively cooled, the characteristics of the liquid crystal display 16 may change and the display may not be clear. Here, if the display is 40 degrees or more (Yes in S208), the process proceeds to step 209.

【0028】

In this step 209, the control circuit 30 applies a positive potential to the motor M2 by the first relay 34 shown in FIG. 2, activates the motor M2, and is as shown by a solid line shown in FIG. 4 by a drive mechanism (not shown). Open the first switching plate 72. As a result, the cold air sent from the cooler side via the air duct 70 is filled in the small chamber created by the lid 12, the liquid crystal display 16, and the side wall 14, and the liquid crystal display 16 is cooled. Then, the control circuit 30 determines whether or not the temperature has been cooled to the set temperature (for example, 30 ° C.) or less (S210). Here, if the liquid crystal display 16 has not been cooled to the set temperature, step 210 becomes No and waits in this state. Then, when the liquid crystal display 16 is cooled to the set temperature (Yes in S210), the first switching plate 72 is closed (S211), the introduction of cold air into the liquid crystal display 16 is stopped, and all the processes are completed. Since the series of cooling routines described above is repeated every time step 63 of the main routine shown in FIG. 6 is activated, the cooling of the liquid crystal display 16 is repeatedly executed as long as the cooler is in the ON state.

【0029】

Here, the process when the operator desires to keep the liquid crystal display 16 cooling and sets the temperature adjustment switch described above to OFF with reference to FIG. 2 will be described. When the cooling routine is started, if cooling is performed and the liquid crystal display 16 is open, all steps 201 to 203 are set to Yes, and after the determination in step 204, it is determined whether or not the temperature adjustment switch is OFF. Is done (S206). Here, the control circuit 30 detects from the k terminal that the temperature control switch is set to OFF (Yes in S206), immediately opens the first switching plate 72 (S207), and ends all the processing. That is, cooling is continued regardless of the temperature of the liquid crystal display 16. After that, for example, when the switch of the air conditioner is turned off (No in step 201), in step 212, the control circuit 30 determines whether the first switching plate 72 is open, and here, the first switching plate 72 is Since it is open, step 212 becomes Yes, the process proceeds to step 211, and the first switching plate 72 is closed.

【0030】

Further, since the operator wants to cool the liquid crystal display 16 but does not want to cool the inside of the vehicle, the process when the above-mentioned individual cooling switch is set to ON will be described with reference to FIG. When the cooling routine is started, if cooling is performed and the liquid crystal display 16 is open, all steps 201 to 203 are set to Yes, and it is determined whether or not the individual cooling switch is turned on (S204). .. Here, the control circuit 30 detects the ON of the individual cooling switch from the j terminal (Yes in S204), opens the first switching plate 72, and closes the second switching plate 74 (S205). That is, the control circuit 30 applies a positive potential to the motor M2 by the second relay 34, activates the motor M2 to open the first switching plate 72 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, and the third relay. A reverse potential is applied to M3 by 36 to start the motor M3 and close the second switching plate 74 as shown by the dotted line in the figure. As a result, cold air is filled in the small chamber created by the lid 12, the liquid crystal display 16, and the side wall 14 without being blown out from the outlet 18, and the liquid crystal display 16 is cooled.

【0031】

After that, for example, by turning off the switch of the air conditioner (No in step 201), in step 212, the control circuit 30 determines whether the first switching plate 72 is open, and here, the first switching plate 72 is Since it is open, the step 212 becomes Yes, and the process proceeds to step 211 to close the first switching plate 72, open the second switching plate, and end the cooling routine.

【0032】

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the cold air of the air conditioner is introduced to cool the liquid crystal display 16, it is possible to prevent the liquid crystal display 16 from being damaged by heat. Further, the liquid crystal display 16 placed on the dashboard 50 is heated by direct sunlight and generates a large amount of heat because light is transmitted from the rear by a backlight method for the purpose of obtaining a bright image. Therefore, the characteristics of the liquid crystal are not stable and the image quality is likely to change. However, according to this embodiment, the temperature of the liquid crystal display 16 is automatically kept constant, so that stable image quality can always be provided.

【0033】

In the above-described embodiment, the pop-up mechanism of the liquid crystal display 16 is arranged on the top 50a of the dashboard 50, but this pop-up mechanism can also be arranged in the center console 22 shown in FIG. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the liquid crystal display 16 is shared by the navigation circuit 40 and the TV circuit 45, but the pop-up type liquid crystal display 16 of this embodiment is dedicated to the navigation circuit 40, and the center console is used for the TV circuit 45. It is also possible to place another display on the 22 side.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a perspective view which shows the state which the vehicle-mounted display device which concerns on 1 Example of this invention is arranged.

[Figure 2]

It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the vehicle-mounted display device which concerns on 1 Example of this invention.

[Fig. 3]

It is a partial cut-out sectional view of the in-vehicle display device of FIG.

[Fig. 4]

It is sectional drawing of the duct in the dashboard of FIG.

[Fig. 5]

It is a top view of the remote control device.

[Fig. 6]

It is a flowchart which shows the main routine of the vehicle-mounted display device of an Example.

[Fig. 7]

It is a flowchart which shows the pop-up routine of the vehicle-mounted display device of an Example.

[Fig. 8]

It is a flowchart which shows the cooling routine of the vehicle-mounted display device of an Example.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 lid 14 Side wall 16 liquid crystal display 20 temperature sensor 30 Control circuit 50 dashboard 70 air duct 70a 1st duct 72 1st switching plate