Screen arrangement with concealed display unit for a vehicle

Abstract

A screen arrangement (10) for a vehicle (100) is disclosed, comprising at least two screens (11, 12) and at least one display unit (13), wherein the screens (11, 12) are configured to assume a first position or a second position, wherein in the first position the screens (11, 12) are connected to each other to form an enlarged screen area, and wherein in the second position the screens (11, 12) are spaced apart from each other and / or have a rotational and / or translational offset relative to the first position, wherein the at least one display unit (13) is obscured by the screens (11, 12) arranged in the first position and is visible by the screens (11, 12) arranged in the second position. A vehicle (100) and a method (20) are also disclosed.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a screen arrangement for a vehicle, comprising at least two screens. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle and a method for operating a screen arrangement.

[0002] Digital displays and screens are used in vehicles to allow for adjustments and to show information and measurement data, such as engine speed and vehicle speed. So-called digital instrument panels or combination instruments are increasingly replacing analog instrument panels, such as the tachometer and speedometer, in vehicles. This information is displayed digitally as numbers, or analog instruments are replicated on the digital display.

[0003] DE 10 2019 126 106 A1 describes a display device for a motor vehicle and a method for operating the display device. The display device comprises at least two screens that can be moved into a so-called merging position to form a combined display area.

[0004] A display device for a motor vehicle is known from DE 10 2015 009 141 A1. The display device comprises at least two display fields, in particular OLED display fields, which are slidably arranged on guide rails and can be combined to form a wider display field.

[0005] The solutions known so far for arranging screens in vehicles offer no or only inadequate staging of the vehicle's sporty driving modes.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a screen arrangement for a vehicle which clarifies a change in the vehicle's driving mode for the driver or passenger.

[0007] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a screen arrangement with the features of claim 1, a vehicle with the features of claim 6, and a method with the features of claim 8. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are described in the dependent claims.

[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, a screen arrangement for a vehicle is provided. The screen arrangement comprises at least two screens and at least one display unit. The screens can be designed, for example, as OLED displays, micro-LED displays, TFT displays, and the like. The at least one display unit can be designed as a digital or as an analog display unit, such as a power meter, tachometer, and the like.

[0009] The screens are configured to occupy either a first or a second position. In the first position, the screens are connected to each other, creating an enlarged screen area. The screens can be arranged side-by-side and / or stacked on top of each other, thus offering a wider and / or taller screen area compared to a single screen.

[0010] The screens in the second position are spaced apart from each other and / or have a rotational and / or translational offset compared to the first position. In particular, the screens in the second position may not be visible to a viewer of the screen arrangement. The at least one display unit is obscured by the screens arranged in the first position and visible by the screens arranged in the second position.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, a vehicle is provided which has at least one screen arrangement according to the invention.

[0012] According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for controlling a vehicle's screen arrangement is provided. In one step of the method, in a first selected driving mode of the vehicle, at least two screens of the screen arrangement are connected to each other in such a way that the view from at least one vehicle seat in the direction of travel of at least one display unit arranged behind the screens is obscured. In a second selected driving mode of the vehicle, the at least two screens are moved to a second position such that the view of the at least one display unit arranged behind the screens is cleared. In the second position, the screens can be removed from the driver's field of vision and / or deactivated so as not to impair the view of the at least one display unit.

[0013] The screen arrangement according to the invention enables the staging of driving modes, for example Sport mode or Racing mode, by modifying the instrument cluster to provide maximum driving support. In the second position, the screens can be completely removed from the driver's or passenger's field of vision, leaving only the at least one display unit visible. In the first position, the enlarged screen area can, for example, display navigation data or maps.

[0014] Moving the screens into the first and second positions can be accomplished by one or more actuators. At least one actuator can move the screens rotationally and / or translationally, either directly or via a gearbox or mechanical coupling.

[0015] A vehicle-side control unit can be configured to control at least one actuator and / or the screens and / or the at least one display unit.

[0016] In one embodiment, the screen arrangement is designed as a combination instrument and is configured to be positioned behind the vehicle's steering wheel in the direction of travel. This allows the screen arrangement to function as a dynamic and interactive combination instrument for the vehicle.

[0017] According to another embodiment, the at least one display unit is arranged offset from the screens along a longitudinal axis. This measure allows the display unit to be positioned behind the screens in the first position, in the driver's or passenger's line of sight, so that the screens can optimally obscure the at least one display unit. The screens arranged in the first position can block the view of the display unit, similar to a gate or flaps.

[0018] According to a further embodiment, the at least one display unit is designed as an analog gauge and / or as a digital gauge and / or as a screen and / or as an instrument cluster. This allows the at least one display unit to be particularly versatile and enable an optimized driving experience.

[0019] According to a further embodiment, the at least one display unit is in a deactivated state in a first position of the screens and in an activated state in a second position of the screens. This measure enables particularly energy-efficient operation of the screen arrangement. Advantageously, the screens can also be deactivated in the second position to avoid disruptive illumination of the display unit and / or distraction from the display unit.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the vehicle, it has several driving modes, wherein the screens of the display arrangement can be moved to a first position or a second position depending on the selected driving mode. This allows the change of driving modes to be displayed particularly clearly due to the movement of the screens and a varying display of information in at least one spatial direction. When changing driving modes, the display of information switches from a screen area in the first position to a screen area or display area of ​​the spatially offset display unit, and vice versa.

[0021] The invention is schematically illustrated with reference to embodiments in the drawings and is further described with reference to the drawings. It shows: Fig. 1 a screen arrangement with screens in a first position according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 a screen arrangement Fig. 1 with screens in a second position. Fig. 3 a schematic flowchart to illustrate a process according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 4 schematic top views of a screen arrangement with screens in a first position and a second position according to a further embodiment of the invention.

[0022] Elements and components with identical or similar constructive or functional characteristics are provided with the same reference symbols across all figures.

[0023] Fig. Figure 1 shows a screen arrangement 10 with screens 11, 12 in a first position according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. Figure 2 shows this screen arrangement 10 with screens 11 and 12 in a second position. The screen arrangement 10 is installed in a vehicle 100 and is part of a dashboard 110 of the vehicle 100.

[0024] The screen arrangement 10, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises two screens 11, 12. The screens 11, 12 are based, for example, on OLED, Micro-LED, TFT, or similar technologies. In the first position, the two screens 11, 12 are positioned side by side along a width direction B of the vehicle 100, forming a screen area enlarged by widening.

[0025] Screens 11 and 12 are configured to assume either the first or second position. For this purpose, an actuator 14, in the form of a geared electric motor, is used to move screens 11 and 12. A control unit 15 can control the actuator 14 and, depending on its configuration, also deactivate screens 11 and 12 in the second position and activate and synchronize them in the first position.

[0026] If a driving mode of the vehicle 100 is changed, for example to a sport mode or a racing mode, screens 11 and 12 are moved to the second position, which is in Fig. 2 is shown.

[0027] In the second position, screens 11 and 12 are spaced apart from each other and, in the illustrated embodiment, also exhibit a rotational and a translational offset compared to the first position. In particular, the enlarged screen area can be divided in the middle to expose a display element or display unit 13 behind it. Furthermore, the display on screens 11 and 12 is deactivated in the second position.

[0028] By spacing the screens 11, 12 apart, an area or space 16 located behind the screens 11, 12 in the direction of travel F is exposed and made visible. In this area 16, the display unit 13 is arranged in the illustrated embodiment. The at least one display unit 13 can be designed as a digital or as an analog display unit and is, for example, an analog tachometer.

[0029] The display unit 13 only becomes visible through the screens 11, 12 which are offset in the second position, so that a change of driving modes can be conveyed to a driver visually in a particularly clear way.

[0030] In Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic flowchart illustrating a method 20 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 20 serves to control a screen arrangement 10 of a vehicle 100. The Fig. 1 and Fig. The vehicle 100 shown and / or the screen arrangement 10 are configured to execute the procedure 20. For the sake of simplicity, the procedure 20 is referred to as the Fig. 1 and the Fig. 2 described.

[0031] In step 21 of the procedure 20, when the vehicle 100 is in a first selected driving mode, the two screens 11, 12 of the screen arrangement 10 are connected to each other in such a way that a view of at least one display unit 13 located behind the screens 11, 12 is obscured. With the screens 11, 12 closed in this way, content such as a map or route guidance can be displayed on the enlarged screen area.

[0032] In a second driving mode 22 of the vehicle 100, the at least two screens 11, 12 are moved by the at least one actuator 14 into a second position such that the view of the at least one display unit 13 located behind the screens 11, 12 is cleared. In the second position, the screens 11, 12 can be removed from the field of vision and / or deactivated so as not to obstruct the view of the at least one display unit 13. With the screens 11, 12 open in this way, for example, sports displays or similar visual outputs can be prioritized by the display unit 13.

[0033] Depending on the configuration, screens 11 and 12 may still be visible in the second position and allow the output of visual content.

[0034] In particular, in one embodiment, at least one screen 11, 12 can be at least partially visible and activated in the second position to enable the output of visual content. This allows the output of the display unit 13 to be extended with further information.

[0035] In Fig. Figure 4 shows schematic top views of a screen arrangement 10 with screens 11, 12 in a first position (top) and a second position (bottom) according to a further embodiment of the invention. In contrast to the embodiment shown previously, the screens 11, 12 are each rotatably mounted on a hinge or about a pivot axis D, which is oriented transversely to the direction of travel F.

[0036] In the first position, screens 11 and 12 form a flat surface with an enlarged screen area. To move screens 11 and 12 to the second position, they are rotated relative to the first position and rotated in opposite directions to open or expose the area 16 located behind them. The display unit 13 is located in or as the boundary of this area 16. It becomes visible when screens 11 and 12 are opened in the second position. In the second position, screens 11 and 12 define the lateral boundary of area 16, specifically in the width direction B, adjacent to the display unit 13. REFERENCE MARK LIST: 100 vehicles 110 Dashboard 10 Screen arrangement 11 first screen 12 second screen 13 Display unit 14 Actuator 15 Control unit 16 Area behind the screens 20 procedures 21. Moving the screens to a first position 22 Moving the screens to a second position B. Width direction of the vehicle F Longitudinal axis / direction of travel of the vehicle when traveling forwards D axis of rotation QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2019 126 106 A1

[0003] DE 10 2015 009 141 A1

[0004]

Claims

Screen arrangement (10) for a vehicle (100), comprising at least two screens (11, 12) and at least one display unit (13), wherein the screens (11, 12) are configured to assume a first position or a second position, wherein in the first position the screens (11, 12) are connected to each other to form an enlarged screen area, and wherein in the second position the screens (11, 12) are spaced apart from each other and / or have a rotational and / or translational offset from the first position, wherein the at least one display unit (13) is concealed by the screens (11, 12) arranged in the first position and is visible by the screens (11, 12) arranged in the second position. Screen arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the screen arrangement (10) is designed as part of a dashboard (110) and / or as a combination instrument and is configured to have a position in the direction of travel (F) behind a vehicle steering wheel. Screen arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one display unit (13) is arranged offset along a longitudinal axis (F) to the screens (11, 12). Screen arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one display unit (13) is configured as an analog measuring indicator and / or as a digital measuring indicator and / or as a screen and / or as an instrument block. Screen arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one display unit (13) is in a deactivated state in the first position of the screens (11, 12) and in an activated state in the second position of the screens (11, 12). Vehicle (100) comprising at least one screen arrangement (10) according to any of the preceding claims. Vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle (100) has several driving modes, wherein the screens (11, 12) of the screen arrangement (10) can be moved to the first position or to the second position depending on a selected driving mode of the vehicle (100). Method (20) for controlling a screen arrangement (10) of a vehicle (100), wherein, in a first set driving mode (21) of the vehicle (100), at least two screens (11, 12) of the screen arrangement (10) are connected to each other in such a way that a view from at least one vehicle seat in the direction of travel (F) of the vehicle (100) of at least one display unit (13) arranged behind the screens (11, 12) is obscured, wherein, in a second set driving mode (22) of the vehicle (100), the at least two screens (11, 12) are moved into a second position in such a way that the view of the at least one display unit (13) arranged behind the screens (11, 12) is cleared.

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