On-vehicle display device

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle display device which can realize more realistic stitch decoration.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle display device 10 comprises a display panel unit 1 which includes display surface 1a which emits an image light La and a cover panel 2 which is composed as an instrument panel 13 of a vehicle and is formed in a larger size than the display surface 1a so as to cover the display surface 1a and includes light permeability in a part that is opposite to the display surface 1a so that the image light La permeates. The cover panel 2 comprises a stitch representation part 224 which represents a seam in a long shape in a stitch direction and a shadow representation part 225 which is formed around the circumference of the stitch representation part 224 when viewed from a viewer and is formed by darker color tone than the stitch representation part 224 and represents shadow.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle display device.

Background Art

[0002] The vehicle display device described in Patent Document 1 includes a housing provided on an instrument panel and a dial plate incorporated in the housing, and decoration with the same tone texture is applied across the instrument panel and the dial plate to create a sense of unity with the vehicle interior. This decoration is exemplified by a leather-like decoration with stitch decoration (see paragraph 0033 of Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the stitch decoration formed by printed characters is not realistic, and a more realistic stitch decoration has been demanded.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present disclosure has been made, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle display device capable of realizing a more realistic stitch decoration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the in-vehicle display device according to the present disclosure includes a display panel unit having a display surface that emits image light, and It is configured as at least a part of an instrument panel of a vehicle, formed in a size larger than the display surface so as to cover the display surface, and having a light-transmitting property at a portion facing the display surface through which the image light passes, and a cover panel. The cover panel has a stitch expression part that expresses a seam in a long shape in the longitudinal direction, and a shadow expression part that is formed around the stitch expression part as viewed by the viewer and is formed in a darker color tone than the stitch expression part to express a shadow.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle display device that can realize a more realistic stitch decoration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] An in-vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle display device 10 is mounted on the instrument panel 13 in the vehicle interior. The instrument panel 13 has a pattern similar to that of a fabric (cloth) with stitches St or a leather-like pattern. In the following description, based on the viewpoint of the viewer (for example, the driver of the vehicle) of the in-vehicle display device 10, the upward direction Ud, the downward direction Dd, the leftward direction Ld, the rightward direction Rd are defined, the front direction Fd is defined as the front direction as seen from the viewer, and the depth direction as seen from the viewer is defined as the rear direction Bd.

[0010] The in-vehicle display device 10 includes display areas 11L, 11R, 11C and stitches St. Images including information such as vehicle speed are displayed in the display areas 11L, 11R, 11C. The images displayed in the display areas 11L, 11R, 11C can be viewed through the above-described pattern of the instrument panel 13.

[0011] The display area 11L is located on the left side of the instrument panel 13, the display area 11R is located on the right side of the instrument panel 13, and the display area 11C is located at the center in the left-right directions Ld, Rd of the instrument panel 13. The stitches St represent the seams of the thread and are formed by printing as a fake instead of actual thread. A plurality of stitches St extend in parallel in a dashed line shape in the left-right directions Ld, Rd. A plurality of stitches St are arranged at the upper portions of the display areas 11L, 11R, 11C.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3, the in-vehicle display device 10 includes a plurality of display panel units 1, a cover panel 2 constituting the instrument panel 13, a light-transmissive adhesive 3, a circuit board 4, and a housing 5. Each display panel unit 1 is provided corresponding to display areas 11L, 11R, and 11C. The display panel unit 1 has a display surface 1a formed on the front surface of the display panel unit 1, and displays an image by emitting image light La. The display panel unit 1 includes a backlight (not shown) that emits illumination light, and a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display panel that receives the illumination light from the backlight and emits image light La. The image light La from the display surface 1a passes through the cover panel 2 and can be visually recognized by the viewer. The display surface 1a of the display panel unit 1 is adhered to the rear surface of the cover panel 2 via an optically transparent adhesive 3. The optically transparent adhesive 3 is a transparent adhesive or adhesive, and is formed of an optically transparent material through which light passes. The optically transparent adhesive 3 suppresses light reflection at the interface by having a refractive index equivalent to that of the base material 21.

[0013] The circuit board 4 is a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and is located in the rearward direction Bd of the display panel unit 1. The circuit board 4 is electrically connected to the display panel unit 1 via a flexible flat cable (not shown). A control unit (not shown) composed of a microcontroller for controlling the display panel unit 1 is mounted on the circuit board 4, and a control signal is output from this control unit to the display panel unit 1.

[0014] The housing 5 is formed of a light-shielding resin or metal and has a box shape that opens toward the front direction Fd. The circuit board 4 and the display panel unit 1 are housed in the housing 5. The housing 5 is fixed to the cover panel 2 by known fixing means such as adhesive fixing, hook fixing, or screw fixing.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the cover panel 2 includes a base material 21 and a skin sheet 22. The base material 21 is formed in a substantially plate shape from, for example, a transparent material such as a transparent polycarbonate (PC) resin or an acrylic (PMMA: Poly Methyl Methacrylate) resin. The thickness of the region of the base material 21 facing the display surface 1a is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the other regions by the thickness of the light-shielding layer 227 described later. The base material 21 has a shape corresponding to the instrument panel 13, for example, a curved plate shape. The base material 21 may be formed by injection molding with respect to the skin sheet 22, or a pre-formed plate-shaped material may be adhered to the skin sheet 22.

[0016] The skin sheet 22 is laminated on the front surface of the base material 21 as a base material and is formed to represent the texture and pattern of the instrument panel 13. The skin sheet 22 includes a convex portion 221, a dimpled layer 222, a sheet base material 223, a plurality of stitch representation portions 224, a plurality of shadow representation portions 225, a decorative layer 226, and a light-shielding layer 227.

[0017] The light-shielding layer 227 is a light-shielding dark-colored printing layer and is formed in a region excluding the display surface 1a over the entire front surface of the base material 21.

[0018] The decorative layer 226 is located on the front surface of the light-shielding layer 227 and on the front surface of the base material 21 in the region corresponding to the display surface 1a. The decorative layer 226 is a light-transmissive printing layer that expresses colors such as a leather-like or fabric-like color tone and is formed over the entire surface direction (the direction along the up-down directions Ud, Dd and the left-right directions Ld, Rd) of the cover panel 2. The decorative layer 226 may be any color, but is formed in colors such as black, brown, orange, beige, white, etc., for example. The decorative layer 226 is not limited to one color and may be composed of various colors and layers.

[0019] The stitch representation portion 224 and the shadow representation portion 225 are formed by printing on the front side within the decorative layer 226 and constitute a stitch St that represents a fake thread and shadow. The stitch representation part 224 is a layer imitating the thread of a seam, having a shape long in the stitch direction SD, for example, forming a rectangular plate shape long in the stitch direction SD. The plurality of stitch representation parts 224 are layers having no light transmissivity, that is, non-transmissive layers, and are printing layers formed by printing.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of stitch representation parts 224 are arranged in a dashed line shape. The plurality of stitch representation parts 224 each extend in the left-right direction Ld, Rd and are arranged in two rows in the up-down direction Ud, Dd, and are arranged so as to form two substantially parallel dashed lines. This substantially parallel means, for example, that the angle formed by these two dashed lines is ±5° or less.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of stitch representation parts 224 are arranged along the upper end of the instrument panel 13. The two dashed lines formed by the plurality of stitch representation parts 224 are formed in a curved shape that bulges upward Ud as they go toward the center in the left-right direction Ld, Rd of the instrument panel 13. The stitch representation part 224 is formed in a brighter color than the shadow representation part 225, for example, a color in the red system or the white system. Note that the stitch representation part 224 may be formed in a dark color system such as gray or black as long as it can be distinguished from the shadow representation part 225.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shadow representation part 225 is formed in a frame shape surrounding the periphery of the stitch representation part 224. The shadow representation part 225 is a layer representing the shadow formed by the seam, having a shape long in the stitch direction SD, forming a substantially rectangular plate shape long in the stitch direction SD. Both ends of the shadow representation part 225 in the stitch direction SD form a semi-circular shape in a front view. As shown in an enlarged view at the lower part of FIG. 3, a recess 228 is formed on the front surface of the shadow representation part 225, and the stitch representation part 224 is filled in the recess 228.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinal shadow length SDh of the shadow representation part 225 is formed longer than the lateral shadow length SDv of the shadow representation part 225. The longitudinal shadow length SDh is the maximum distance between the end (right end or left end) of the stitch representation part 224 and the end (right end or left end) of the shadow representation part 225 in the stitch direction SD. The lateral shadow length SDv is the distance between the end (lower end or upper end) of the stitch representation part 224 and the end (lower end or upper end) of the shadow representation part 225 in the lateral direction orthogonal to the stitch direction SD. The longitudinal shadow length SDh is set, for example, to be 2 to 6 times the length of the lateral shadow length SDv.

[0024] The sheet base material 223 is formed so as to cover the entire front surface of each of the stitch representation part 224, the shadow representation part 225, and the decorative layer 226. The sheet base material 223 is formed in a sheet shape from a light-transmitting material, for example, a transparent PC resin, or a PMMA resin, etc., and serves as a base material for laminating the respective layers of the skin sheet 22. Note that the sheet base material 223 does not have to be a transparent member, and may have, for example, a smoky color tone with a lower light transmittance than transparency.

[0025] The embossed layer 222 is formed so as to cover the entire front surface of the sheet base material 223. The embossed layer 222 has, for example, an emboss of leather or a pattern imitating the weave of cloth, and is formed by a printing layer having light transmissivity. The embossed layer 222 is a layer for producing a further decorative texture in combination with the color of the decorative layer 226. By changing the material or composition type of the embossed layer 222, the dry-wet feeling or the friction coefficient, etc. can be adjusted.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of convex portions 221 are a printing layer having light transmissivity, and are formed to be convex on the front surface of the embossed layer 222. The plurality of convex portions 221 are arranged at the same position as the stitch expression portion 224 on the front surface of the embossed layer 222. The plurality of convex portions 221 are formed to give the viewer an illusion that the stitch expression portion 224 is raised. With the convex portions 221, a more realistic stitch St can be formed. The convex portions 221 have a shape that is long in the stitch direction SD, and in this example, form a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the stitch direction SD. Each convex portion 221 is formed so as to be included within the stitch expression portion 224 in a front view of the stitch expression portion 224 shown in FIG. 4. In other words, the center position of each convex portion 221 and the center position of each stitch expression portion 224 coincide in a front view, and in the stitch direction SD and its orthogonal direction, the size of each convex portion 221 is formed smaller than the size of each stitch expression portion 224. The difference Df in these sizes is set so that the viewer's line of sight Ls passes through the convex portion 221 and reaches the stitch expression portion 224, as shown enlarged at the bottom of FIG. 3. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a part of the shadow expression portion 225 from being visually recognized through the convex portion 221, and the stitch expression portion 224 is more reliably visually recognized through the convex portion 221.

[0027] (Effect) According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The in-vehicle display device 10 includes a display panel unit 1 having a display surface 1a that emits image light La, and is configured as an instrument panel 13 of a vehicle. It is formed in a size larger than the display surface 1a so as to cover the display surface 1a, and a cover panel 2 having light transmissivity at a portion facing the display surface 1a through which the image light La passes. The cover panel 2 includes a stitch expression portion 224 that expresses a seam in a shape that is long in the stitch direction SD, which is an example of the longitudinal direction, and a shadow expression portion 225 that is formed around the stitch expression portion 224 as viewed from the viewer and is formed in a darker color tone than the stitch expression portion 224 to express a shadow. According to this configuration, by forming the shadow expression portion 225 around the stitch expression portion 224, a more realistic stitch decoration can be realized.

[0028] (2) The cover panel 2 is formed in a convex shape with respect to the front surface closer to the viewer of the cover panel 2 and includes a convex portion 221 having light transmissibility. When the stitch expression portion 224 is viewed from the front, the convex portion 221 is located within the stitch expression portion 224 with a size smaller than that of the stitch expression portion 224 and is arranged so that the color of the stitch expression portion 224 can be transmitted and visually recognized. According to this configuration, when viewed from the viewer, since the color of the shadow expression portion 225 is suppressed from being transmitted and visually recognized in the convex portion 221, a more realistic stitch decoration can be realized.

[0029] (3) The shadow expression portion 225 is formed to extend in the stitch direction SD with a longitudinal shadow length SDh from the end portion in the stitch direction SD of the stitch expression portion 224 and to extend in the short hand direction with a short hand direction shadow length SDv from the end portion in the short hand direction orthogonal to the stitch direction SD of the stitch expression portion 224. The longitudinal shadow length SDh is formed longer than the short hand direction shadow length SDv. According to this configuration, since the shadow expression portion 225 can express the shadow of the thread or the sewing mark, a more realistic stitch decoration can be realized.

[0030] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and drawings. Modifications (including deletion of components) can be appropriately made without changing the gist of the present invention. An example of a modification will be described below.

[0031] (Modification example) In the above embodiment, the number of display areas 11L, 11R, 11C can be appropriately changed and may be any one of one, two, or four or more. In the above embodiment, the light shielding layer 227 of the cover panel 2 may be omitted. Also, in the above embodiment, the embossed layer 222 may be omitted. In the above embodiment, a touch sensor (not shown) may be interposed between the display panel unit 1 and the cover panel 2 so as to be touch-operable.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the stitches St are arranged in two substantially parallel dashed lines, but the arrangement mode of the stitches St is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of stitches St1 may be provided in a direction inclined with respect to the arrangement direction (for example, the left - right directions Ld, Rd) of the plurality of stitches St1. The inclination angle of the stitches St1 with respect to the arrangement direction may be set to an acute angle. The stitches St1 are configured in the same manner as the stitches St of the above embodiment except for their directions. Furthermore, in FIGS. 2 and 5 above, the stitches St, St1 arranged in the row direction (for example, the up - down directions Ud, Dd) orthogonal to the arrangement direction were arranged to be parallel, but they may be arranged non - parallel. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, two stitches St2 arranged in the row direction may be provided in different directions so as to form a V - shape. The two V - shaped stitches St2 are arranged in the arrangement direction (for example, the left - right directions Ld, Rd). The stitches St2 are configured in the same manner as the stitches St of the above embodiment except for their directions. Also, although a plurality of stitches St, St1, St2 were arranged in the row direction (for example, the up - down directions Ud, Dd), it is not limited to this, and one stitch St, St1, St2 may be arranged in the row direction.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the convex portion 221 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the stitch direction SD, but it is not limited to this, and it may have a semi - cylindrical shape that is long in the stitch direction SD. The bottom plane of the semi - cylindrical convex portion 221 extending in the stitch direction SD may be in surface contact with the front surface of the embossed layer 222. Also, the convex portion 221 may be omitted.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the convex portion 221 and the stitch representation portion 224 were configured as separate members, but they may be configured as the same member. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a stitch representation convex portion 324 is provided in place of the convex portion 221 of the above embodiment. The stitch representation convex portion 324 is a convex portion colored in the same manner as the stitch representation portion 224 of the above embodiment. The shadow representation portion 325 is located in the rearward direction Bd of the stitch representation convex portion 324 and represents the shadow of the stitch representation convex portion 324. According to this modification, the following effects can be obtained. The stitch representation convex portion 324 is formed convex with respect to the front surface closer to the viewer of the cover panel 2. According to this configuration, a more realistic stitch decoration can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the shadow representation portions 225 of the stitches St are arranged with gaps in the stitch direction SD with respect to each other as viewed from the viewer, but it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the shadow representation portions 225 of the stitches St3 arranged in the stitch direction SD may be formed so as to be continuous in the stitch direction SD. In this case, the plurality of shadow representation portions 225 continuous in the stitch direction SD are formed in a linear shape having a width as a whole.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the plurality of stitches St were arranged above the display areas 11L, 11R, 11C, but they may be arranged on the right side, left side or lower part of the display areas 11L, 11R, 11C. Further, the plurality of stitches St may be arranged so as to surround each of the display areas 11L, 11R, 11C or the entire periphery of the display areas 11L, 11R, 11C.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the display panel unit 1 was configured to have a liquid crystal display panel, but it is not limited to this, and it may be configured to have an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display panel.

[0038] In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the shadow representation portion 225 was formed so as to cover the side circumferential surface and the rear surface of the stitch representation portion 224. However, the rear surface of the stitch representation portion 224 may not be covered by the shadow representation portion 225.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the longitudinal shadow length SDh was formed to be longer than the lateral shadow length SDv. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be formed to be shorter than the lateral shadow length SDv or the same length as the lateral shadow length SDv.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the decorative layer 226 formed a pattern by printing. However, instead of the pattern in printing, it may be real wood, metal, fabric, leather, or the like. In this case, the decorative layer 226 is formed with a thin thickness that allows light to pass through the wood or the like. In the above embodiment, the seat surface (not shown) inside the vehicle cabin may be formed in a fabric-like or leather-like appearance having the same appearance as the instrument panel 13 (cover panel 2). In this case, it is possible to create a sense of unity in the decoration inside the vehicle cabin. In the above embodiment, the cover panel 2 may be configured as a part of the instrument panel 13 instead of the entire instrument panel 13. In the above embodiment, the decorative layer 226 was formed over the entire area of the cover panel 2 including the region corresponding to the display surface 1a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the decorative layer 226 may not be formed in the region corresponding to the display surface 1a.

[0041] In the above description, for the sake of facilitating the understanding of the present disclosure, the description of known technical matters has been appropriately omitted.

[0042] The present invention can be implemented in various embodiments and variations without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, the above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the embodiments. And various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the meaning of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1... Display panel unit, 1a... Display surface 2... Cover panel, 21... Base material, 22... Skin sheet, 221... Protrusion, 222... Groove layer, 223... Sheet base material, 224... Stitch expression part, 225, 325... Shadow expression part, 226... Decoration layer, 227... Light shielding layer, 228... Recess, 324... Stitch expression protrusion 3... Light-transmissive adhesive 4... Circuit board 5... Housing 10... In-vehicle display device 11C, 11L, 11R... Display area 13... Instrument panel Df... Difference Fd... Forward direction, Bd... Rear direction, Ld... Left direction, Rd... Right direction, Ud... Upward direction, Dd... Downward direction La... Image light Ls... Line of sight St, St1, St2, St3... Stitch

Claims

1. A display panel unit having a display surface that emits image light, and A cover panel configured as at least a part of an instrument panel of a vehicle, formed in a size larger than the display surface so as to cover the display surface, and having light transmissivity at a portion facing the display surface through which the image light is transmitted. The cover panel A stitch expression portion that expresses a seam in a shape that is long in the longitudinal direction, and A shadow expression portion that is formed around the stitch expression portion as viewed by a viewer, and is formed in a darker color tone than the stitch expression portion to express a shadow. An in-vehicle display device.

2. The cover panel is formed convex with respect to the front surface closer to the viewer of the cover panel, and includes a convex portion having light transmissivity. When the stitch expression portion is viewed from the front, the convex portion is located within the stitch expression portion in a size smaller than the stitch expression portion, and is arranged so that the color of the stitch expression portion can be seen through. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1.

3. The stitch expression portion is formed convex with respect to the front surface closer to the viewer of the cover panel. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1.

4. The shadow expression portion extends in the longitudinal direction from the longitudinal end portion of the stitch expression portion by a longitudinal shadow length, and extends in the short direction from the short direction end portion orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the stitch expression portion by a short direction shadow length. The longitudinal shadow length is formed longer than the short direction shadow length. The in-vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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