Display system comprising a screen display device and a status display area

Abstract

The invention relates to a display system (1) for providing image information in a screen display area (41) and a selectively displayable status symbol in a status display area (42), said display system comprising: - a screen display device (2) having a pixel matrix for presenting the image information; - a plurality of parallel, in particular stacked, planar light-guiding elements (6) that are arranged plane-parallel to the extent of the pixel matrix and adjacent to the screen display device, wherein the light-guiding elements are each provided with at least one coupling-out region (61) via which light coupled into said light-guiding element can be coupled out perpendicularly to the status display area, wherein the coupling-out region is in the shape of a displayable status symbol; - a deflection device (5) which is designed to couple light from at least one pixel or from pixels of at least one corresponding partial region of a peripheral region (22) of the pixel matrix laterally into each of the light-guiding elements.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Display system with a screen display device and a status display area

[0003] The invention relates to display systems with an image display device for outputting any image information via a pixel matrix and a status display area.

[0004] To provide visual information, screen display devices with a pixel matrix, such as LCD displays, OLED displays, micro-LED displays, and the like, are typically used. Generally available screen display devices are usually only available in specific formats and sizes.

[0005] In vehicles, screen displays provide convenient input and output for the implementation of entertainment, navigation, and other assistance functions for vehicle occupants. However, space constraints pose challenges for manufacturers when selecting screen displays due to the limited selection of formats and sizes.

[0006] In addition to displaying image information, simple status displays are also necessary in vehicles. Such status displays are fixed in place and make it possible to indicate a vehicle status, a warning, or an error to the user or driver. These status displays have currently been implemented as signal lights in the instrument panel. The use of screen displays should generally allow the status displays to be displayed on the screen display area of ​​the screen display device (screen area). However, such status displays are intended to signal errors and warnings and are therefore important, so they must not be overlaid or even covered up by other information. Therefore, a status display area would have to be reserved on the screen display devices in which only such status displays are to be displayed.However, this reduces the available display area for the output of other relevant vehicle functions, particularly entertainment, navigation and other assistance functions.

[0007] However, enlarging the screen display device isn't easy, as manufacturers only offer fixed formats and sizes. These typically don't fit easily into the available installation space, so the next smaller version of the screen display device is often chosen to fit within the available space.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a display system which, in addition to a screen display device, also provides a status display area and allows degrees of freedom in the selection of the format of the display system.

[0009] This object is achieved by the display system with a screen display device and a status display area according to claim 1.

[0010] Further embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0011] According to one aspect, a display system is provided for providing image information in a screen display area and a selectively displayable status symbol in a status display area, in particular for use in a console of a vehicle, comprising: a screen display device with a pixel matrix for displaying the image information; a plurality of parallel, in particular stacked, planar light guide elements, which are arranged parallel to one another to the extent of the pixel matrix and adjacent to the screen display device, wherein the light guide elements are each provided with at least one output region, via which light coupled into the respective light guide element can be output perpendicular to the status display area, wherein the output region has the shape of a displayable status symbol;a deflection device which is designed to laterally couple light from at least one pixel or pixels of at least one corresponding partial region of an edge region of the pixel matrix into each of the light guide elements;

[0012] The above display system enables the extension of a screen display area of ​​a screen display device by a status display area that adjoins an edge of the screen display area. The screen display device has a screen display area and is preferably designed as a matrix display with a pixel matrix. The screen display device can comprise a micro-LED display device, an OLED display device, or an LCD display device, wherein the pixels of the pixel matrix are selectively controllable to output light of a specific color. Image information can be displayed on the screen display device in a manner known per se, which image information can be perceived by looking at the top of the display system.

[0013] The deflection device can direct light from one or more pixels in the edge region of the pixel matrix laterally to the coupling regions of the multiple optical fiber elements via a mirror arrangement or other light guide (such as optical fibers for lateral deflection of the light emitted by the pixels). The edge region can be provided at one or more edges of the pixel matrix, each with a width of one to 10 pixels.

[0014] In vehicles, status displays are usually provided which are arranged in a status display area, e.g. in the instrument panel. The status display area has flat, transparent, flat light guide elements in the form of light guide planes, into which light can be selectively coupled via a laterally arranged coupling area, e.g. via an edge, and which define the coupling-out areas in the form of status symbols. The coupling-out areas allow the output of coupled-in light perpendicular to the surface direction or extension direction of the light guide elements, so that this can be perceived by a top view of the display system. The status symbols correspond to defined shapes, such as symbols for signaling an engine error, an overtemperature, a note to fill up the windshield washer fluid, and the like. The status symbols, ieThe coupling-out regions in the optical fiber elements can be provided at different positions or superimposed on one another with respect to the main surface direction.

[0015] The coupling-out regions can be formed by changing the optical properties of the material or the surface of the light guide elements, e.g. by roughening.

[0016] The light guide elements can be made of a transparent material, such as PMMA, in the form of layers, films or the like and have a thickness of between 0.1 and 2 mm. Light that is coupled into a light guide element leads to an output at the at least one output region, so that the status symbol can be perceived accordingly on the upper side of the status display region. Each of the light guide elements is optically coupled via the deflection device to one or more pixels in an edge region of the screen display device, so that when the corresponding pixels are activated, the resulting display light is coupled into the corresponding light guide element, propagates in the light guide element and leads to the display of the status symbol at the output region.By selectively controlling the corresponding pixels, a symbol assigned to the light guide element can be displayed or not displayed.

[0017] A common transparent cover plate can be provided, the upper side of which forms the screen display area and the status display area. The screen display device is connected to the underside of the cover plate via a connecting layer, and the plurality of light guide elements in the status display area are attached directly to the underside of the cover plate. Thus, the screen display area and the status display area can be formed or covered by a common transparent cover plate, creating the impression of a continuous display.

[0018] For the selective coupling of light, at least one of the coupling areas can be provided with a color filter in order to couple only light of a certain light color into the respective light guide element and not to couple light of a different light color.

[0019] Such a display system makes it possible to significantly increase the display area at the edge with respect to the format and size of the screen display device used, so that available formats of the screen display device can be used to enable different sizes for the display area of ​​the display system. In particular with micro-LED pixels of a micro-LED screen display device, the luminosity of just a few pixels is sufficient to illuminate and display a perceptible status symbol of a conventional size and with sufficient luminosity. According to one embodiment, a coupling light guide of the deflection device can be provided for each of the light guide elements, which couples a partial region of the edge region of the pixel matrix into a respective light guide element.

[0020] Furthermore, the edge region can be provided at one or more edges of the pixel matrix, each with a width of one to 20 pixels, in particular 5 to 10 pixels.

[0021] Embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. They show:

[0022] Figure 1 is a plan view of a display system with a display area configured to output image information and status displays; and

[0023] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the display system of Figure 1;

[0024] Figures 3a and 3b show examples of optical fiber elements with output regions indicating status symbols; and

[0025] Figure 4 shows a more detailed cross-sectional view of the deflection device between the pixel matrix and the coupling areas of the optical fiber elements.

[0026] An exemplary display system 1 is shown in the top view of Figure 1 and the cross-sectional view of Figure 2.

[0027] The display system 1 comprises a screen display device 2 with a pixel matrix, which can be formed, for example, from self-luminous pixels B arranged next to one another, e.g., in the form of microLEDs. The screen display device 2 defines a screen display area 41, via which variable image information can be displayed.

[0028] A transparent cover plate 3 is arranged above the screen display area 41 of the screen display device 2, so that image information output by the screen display device 2 can be perceived through a plan view of an entire display area 4. A connecting layer 8, which is a transparent material and can serve, for example, as an adhesive or bonding layer, is provided between the top side of the screen display device 2 and the underside of the cover plate 3 facing the screen display device 2. The transparent material is selected such that the visual perceptibility of the image information through the cover plate 3 onto the screen display area 41 is not impaired.

[0029] The cover plate 3 is extended in the surface direction over one to four (here two) edges 21 of the screen display device 2 and thus forms a status display area 42 outside the screen display area 41. This status display area 42 is not suitable for outputting variable image information that can be represented by pixels, but is designed solely for displaying predefined status symbols. On the underside of the cover plate 3, one or more planar light guide elements 6 are arranged, in particular stacked, in the status display area, each defining a light guide plane in which coupled-in light is guided.

[0030] In an edge region 22 of the pixel matrix of the screen display device 2, an optical deflection device 5 is provided between the cover plate 3 and the screen display device 2 in order to couple light from the pixels B of the edge region 22 into a respective one of the light guide elements 6 via a respective coupling region 62 on a lateral edge of the light guide elements 6 facing the screen display device 2.

[0031] The light guide elements 6 are flat light guides made of a transparent material, such as PMMA, which are arranged parallel to the surface beneath the status display area on the underside of the cover plate 3, in particular in a stacked arrangement. The light guide elements 6 guide laterally coupled light and offer the possibility of coupling out light at coupling-out areas 61 on the respective upper side, which are designed according to the shape of the status symbol to be displayed, so that the coupling-out area 61 can be perceived. The formation of the coupling-out area 61 can be achieved, for example, by roughening the surface of the light guide elements 6 or by other optical means in the light guide elements 6.

[0032] Figures 3a and 3b show examples of such optical fiber elements 6 with output regions 61 that indicate displayable status symbols. These status symbols can be displayed in different colors for each optical fiber element 6.

[0033] Due to the transparent design of the light guide elements 6, coupling-out regions 61 can also be arranged superimposed on one another, so that when coupling in light of different colors, mixed colors can be provided for displaying the status symbols at overlapping coupling-out regions 61.

[0034] The thickness of the light guide elements 6 is preferably selected between 0.1 and 2 mm and depends in particular on the number of light guide elements 6 to be provided. The total thickness of the stacked arrangement of the light guide elements 6 should not exceed a thickness of between 1 and 3 mm, since the opposing upper side of the screen display device 2 and the underside of the cover plate 3 must also be spaced apart by this distance without impairing the perception of the image information. If the distance between the cover plate 3 and the pixel matrix of the screen display device 2 is too large, optical effects can occur via the connecting layer 8 that can impair the perception of the displayed image information. In addition, the coupling of light from pixels B in the edge region 22 of the pixel matrix and coupling into the light guide planes 6 must also be enabled.

[0035] Thus, the edge area 22 of the pixel matrix is ​​not available for outputting the image information via the screen display area 41, but is used for selective illumination of the status display area.

[0036] The selective coupling into the optical fiber planes 6 can be achieved by coupling subregions of the edge region 22 to a respective optical fiber plane 6 via a corresponding deflection device 5. In other words, the selective coupling can be achieved such that each of the optical fiber planes is optically connected to a portion of an edge region of the pixel matrix by optical coupling, so that by selectively controlling the pixels of a portion of the edge region, light can be coupled into the corresponding optical fiber plane to illuminate the status symbol provided there.

[0037] Thus, by selectively controlling the pixels in the edge region 22 of the pixel matrix, it is possible to selectively couple light into individual light guide elements 6, so that the status symbols can be switched to be visible or invisible via the status display region 42, depending on which of the sub-regions with one or more pixels are switched on or off.

[0038] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 4, the deflection device 5 can be designed, for example, with the aid of a mirror arrangement 24 arranged at an angle between 30 and 60°, preferably 45°, above the edge region 22 of the pixel matrix in order to couple light from the pixels B of the edge region 22 into one or more light guide elements 6.

[0039] The coupling regions 63 of the optical fiber elements 6 can be provided with color filters 64 to allow only light of the corresponding color to be coupled in and / or to selectively couple in light of a specific color and filter out or block light of a different color. The status symbol in the coupling region 61 is therefore only displayed if the pixels in the edge region of the pixel matrix emit light of the corresponding color. For example, a red / blue / green filter can be provided in the coupling region 62 of one of the optical fiber elements 6 to couple in only light of the corresponding color.

[0040] Figure 4 shows a possible embodiment for coupling light from the edge region of the pixel matrix into the light guide elements 6. Thus, with the aid of a mirror arrangement 24, light from the edge region 22 of the pixel matrix can be deflected laterally and coupled into the light guide elements 6 via the respective coupling regions 62. If color filters 64 are provided in the coupling region 62 of the respective light guide elements 6, colored light of specific wavelengths can be specifically filtered out in order to couple light only into specific light guide elements 6 by appropriately controlling the pixels in the edge region 22 of the pixel matrix, display the status symbols provided there, and not display the status symbols of the remaining light guide elements 6.

[0041] As an alternative to the mirror arrangement 24, by providing a coupling light guide for each light guide element 6, a specific portion of the edge region of the pixel matrix can be directly connected to the respective light guide element 6, so that light from the specific region of the pixel matrix can be directly coupled into the light guide element. For this purpose, the coupling light guide can be placed directly on the surface of the pixel matrix and optically connected to the coupling region 62 in a light-conducting manner, without any scattering effects occurring there.

[0042] The back of the screen display device 2 and / or the back of the status display area 42 may be provided with a black layer to prevent transparency of the display system 1, so that the perceptibility of displayed status symbols and image information is improved.

[0043] List of reference symbols

[0044] 1 display system

[0045] Screen display device 1 Edges of the screen display device 2 Edge area 4 Mirror arrangement

[0046] Cover plate

[0047] Display area 1 Screen display area 2 Status display area

[0048] 5 Deflection device

[0049] Fiber optic elements

[0050] 61 Decoupling area

[0051] 63 Coupling area

[0052] 64 color filters

[0053] 8 Connection layer

[0054] B pixels

Claims

Claims 1. A display system (1) for providing image information in a screen display area (41) and a selectively displayable status symbol in a status display area (42), comprising: - a screen display device (2) with a pixel matrix with pixels (B) for displaying the image information; - a plurality of planar light guide elements (6) which are parallel to one another, in particular stacked, and which are arranged adjacent to the screen display device (2) so as to be parallel to the extent of the pixel matrix, wherein the light guide elements (6) are each provided with at least one decoupling region (61) via which light coupled into the respective light guide element (6) can be coupled out perpendicularly to the status display region (42), wherein the decoupling region (61) is shaped in the form of a displayable status symbol; - a deflection device (5) which is designed to laterally couple light from at least one pixel (B) or from pixels (B) of at least one corresponding partial region of an edge region (22) of the pixel matrix into each of the light guide elements (6).

2. Display system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the screen display device (2) comprises an LCD display device, a microLED display device or an OLED display device.

3. Display system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a common transparent cover plate (3) is provided, the upper side of which forms the screen display area (41) and the status display area (42), wherein the screen display device (2) is connected to the underside of the cover plate (3) via a connecting layer (8) and wherein the plurality of light guide elements (6) in the status display area (42) are fastened directly to the underside of the cover plate (3).

4. Display system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the deflection device (5) directs light from one or more pixels in the edge region of the pixel matrix via a mirror arrangement (63) laterally to coupling regions (63) of the plurality of light guide elements (6).

5. Display system (1) according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the coupling regions (63) is provided with a color filter (64) in order to couple only light of a specific light color into the respective light guide element (6) and not to couple light of a different light color.

6. Display system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein for a plurality of the light guide elements (6) a coupling light guide of the deflection device (5) is provided, which couples a partial area of the edge area of the pixel matrix into a respective light guide element (6).

7. Display system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the edge region (22) is provided at one or more edges of the pixel matrix, each with a width of one to 20 pixels, in particular 5 to 10 pixels.

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