Display device and information processing device

Abstract

The present invention suppresses a deterioration in user convenience when equipment in a vehicle cabin is hidden by a display device. The position of the display device according to the present invention within the cabin of a vehicle can be changed, and the display device includes: a display panel; and a control unit which, if an operating unit for operating equipment provided in the vehicle becomes hidden and cannot be operated as a result of a change in the position of the display device within the cabin, causes a Human Machine Interface (HMI) image that replaces the operating unit to be displayed on the display panel.

Description

Display device and information processing device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device and an information processing device.

[0002] Conventionally, in-vehicle display devices have been proposed that can obtain a display state according to the vehicle state and the seating state of occupants and can be driven so as not to obstruct the driver's rear view (for example, Patent Document 1). Also proposed is an in-vehicle display device that can switch between an extended screen mode that functions like a ceiling-suspended RSE when two displays are in an extended screen compatible formation adjacent to each other, and a non-extended screen mode that functions like a seatback RSE when the two displays are spaced apart (for example, Patent Document 2).

[0003] JP 2004-82835 A JP 2017-74875 A

[0004] It is convenient if the position of an in-vehicle display device can be changed depending on the situation, such as whether there are passengers or not, whether the vehicle is moving, etc. However, depending on the position of the display device, it may be difficult to use the controls and other equipment installed in the vehicle.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a technique for suppressing a decrease in user convenience when equipment inside a vehicle is hidden by a display device.

[0006] The display device according to the present technology is repositionable within the vehicle cabin, and includes a display panel, and a control unit that displays an HMI (Human Machine Interface) image on the display panel to replace an operation unit for operating equipment provided in the vehicle when the operation unit is covered and becomes inoperable due to a change in the position of the display device within the vehicle cabin.

[0007] According to the present technology, it is possible to suppress a decrease in user convenience when equipment inside the vehicle is hidden by a display device.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display device mounted on a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating driving of the display device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the placement of the display device in use. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle. FIG. 5 is a processing flow diagram illustrating an example of position detection processing performed in a vehicle. FIG. 6 is an example of information that maintains a correspondence relationship between the position of a display and covered equipment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an HMI displayed on the display device. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating a vehicle according to a modified example. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to a modified example. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to a modified example. FIG. 11 is a side view of the display device.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0010] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display device 2 mounted on a vehicle 1. The display device 2 is a monitor in which a display panel for displaying images and a touch panel for detecting touch operations are stacked. For example, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 1 , the display device 2 according to this embodiment can be stored in a groove 12 between an instrument panel 11 divided into upper and lower parts. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 1 , the display device 2 protrudes from the groove 12 into the vehicle interior and functions as, for example, a CID (Center Information Display).

[0011] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the driving of the display device 2. As shown in the upper part of Fig. 2, in the stored state, the display device 2 is stored in a groove 12 provided in an instrument panel 11. The groove 12 is a space extending horizontally, open on the inside of the vehicle compartment (also referred to as the front side) and closed on the opposite side (also referred to as the back side), and is slightly larger than the display device 2. The groove 12 is provided with a guide rail 13 extending in the depth direction thereof to guide the movement direction of the display device 2, and a drive unit 14 extending vertically, movable in the depth direction of the groove 12, and regulating the movable range of the display device 2.

[0012] The display device 2 also has a drive unit 21 on the back side of its display surface. The drive unit 21 has a first engagement portion 22 that engages with the guide rail 13 and aligns the movement direction of the display device 2 with the guide rail 13, a second engagement portion 23 that engages with the drive portion 14 and displaces the display device 2 in accordance with the movement of the drive portion 14, and a slide shaft 24 that moves the display device 2 horizontally in its width direction.

[0013] 2 , when the drive unit 14 moves in the depth direction (toward the viewer), the display device 2 protrudes from the groove 12 along the guide rail 13. Furthermore, when the first engagement portion 22 reaches the end of the guide rail 13, the movement of the display device 2 toward the viewer along the groove 12 is restricted, and the display device 2 rises up around the first engagement portion 22 as a rotation axis. In other words, when the drive unit 14 moves further toward the viewer after the first engagement portion 22 reaches the end of the guide rail 13, the second engagement portion 23 moves in an arc around the first engagement portion 22 along the drive unit 14.

[0014] Then, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 2, the display device 2 rises up outside the instrument panel 11 and transitions to the use state shown in the lower part of Fig. 1. In the use state, the display device 2 may be positioned so that its display surface faces diagonally upward.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the position of the display device 2 in use. The display device 2 can also move, for example, in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3 ) along the slide shaft 24 shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the drive unit 21 of the display device 2 may include a drive unit (not shown) for changing the position along the slide shaft 24. The upper part of FIG. 3 shows a state in which the display device 2 has moved to the left. At this time, some of the vehicle 1 equipment, such as the operation buttons 3 and the air conditioner outlet 4, provided on the instrument panel 11 are covered by the display device 2 and are inoperable. The lower part of FIG. 3 shows a state in which the display device 2 has moved to the right. In this way, the display device 2 functions as a passenger information display (PID) depending on its position. In this embodiment, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3 , the display device 2 or other equipment in the vehicle cabin is controlled when it becomes difficult to use the equipment.

[0016] 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a vehicle 1. The system provided in the vehicle 1 includes a display device 2, a drive unit 14 that changes the position of the display device 2, an in-vehicle device 5 that controls the drive unit 14, and equipment 6 such as an operation unit and an air conditioner provided in the vehicle 1.

[0017] The display device 2 includes a display panel 25, a touch panel 26, and a control unit 27. The display panel 25 is a module that uses an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like and displays images. The touch panel 26 is a module that detects a contact position using a capacitance method, an ultrasonic surface acoustic wave method, an optical method, a resistive film method, or the like. The control unit 27 is a processor that controls the display on the display panel 25 and processes input from the touch panel 26. In this embodiment, the control unit 27 included in the display device 2 controls the display panel 25, the touch panel 26, and the equipment 6 according to the position of the display device 2.

[0018] The in-vehicle device 5 is a computer mounted on the vehicle 1 and includes a control unit 51. The control unit 51 is a processor that controls the drive unit 14 and the drive unit for changing the position along the slide shaft 24 shown in Fig. 2. The drive unit 14 changes the position of the display device 2 between the stored state and the use state, as shown in Fig. 2. The drive unit for changing the position along the slide shaft 24 changes the position of the display device 2 left and right, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0019] The equipment 6 may be, for example, an air conditioner, at least a part of which (for example, an air outlet) may be covered by the display device 2. The equipment 6 also includes equipment (for example, a turn signal) that can be operated by an operating unit (for example, a hazard switch (emergency flasher switch)) that may be covered by the display device 2.

[0020] 5 is a process flow diagram showing an example of a position detection process performed in the vehicle 1. The position detection process is started, for example, when the accessory (ACC) power supply or the ignition (IG) power supply of the vehicle 1 is turned on, and is repeatedly executed until these power supplies are turned off.

[0021] The control unit 27 of the display device 2 acquires the position of the display device 2 ( FIG. 5 : step S1). The position of the display device 2 can be acquired, for example, from the control unit 51 of the in-vehicle device 5 that controls the drive unit 14, etc. In this embodiment, for example, when the display device 2 is in use, coordinates indicating the position of the display device 2 in the width direction are acquired.

[0022] After step S1, the control unit 27 determines whether the display device 2 covers the operation units of the vehicle 1 ( FIG. 5 : step S2). In this step, the control unit 27 identifies the operation units that are covered (in other words, that will become inoperable) based on, for example, the coordinates of the display device 2. FIG. 6 shows an example of information that maintains a correspondence between the display position and the equipment to be covered. The table in FIG. 6 includes attributes of "display range," "covered equipment," and "control." The "display range" field registers information indicating a range of coordinates that indicate the widthwise position of the display device 2. The "covered equipment" field registers information indicating equipment that is covered by the display device 2. The "control" field registers information indicating control of the equipment of the vehicle 1. A table such as that shown in FIG. 6 may be stored in advance in the storage device of the display device 2, and in step S2 of FIG. 5, it may be determined whether the coordinates acquired in step S1 fall within any of the ranges registered in the "display range" field in FIG. 6.

[0023] If it is determined that the display device 2 covers the operation unit of the vehicle 1 (step S2: YES), the control unit 27 displays an HMI (Human Machine Interface) on the display device 2. The HMI is an operation unit displayed on the display device 2 to replace an operation unit that becomes inoperable. In this step, images such as icons corresponding to buttons, knobs, sliders, etc. that correspond to the operation unit covered by the display device 2 are displayed on the display panel 25 of the display device 2. Furthermore, when the user operates the image, the control unit 27 controls the equipment controlled by the operation unit corresponding to the operated image in cooperation with, for example, the CAN (Controller Area Network) and ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the control registered in the "Control" field in FIG. 6 is performed.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an HMI displayed on the display device 2. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 7 , when it is determined that the display device 2, displaying some kind of information, covers an operation unit of the vehicle 1, the control unit 27 displays the HMI as shown in the lower part of FIG. 7 . For example, when the hazard switch is covered by the display device 2, an image corresponding to the hazard switch is displayed. In this case, it is preferable that the HMI includes an image that resembles the operation unit. The image that resembles the operation unit improves the user's recognition of the HMI. It is also preferable that the display position on the display device 2 corresponds to the physical location of the operation unit. Note that the original screen display may be, for example, reduced and displayed in a location other than the HMI, or may be superimposed on the HMI. Furthermore, after the HMI is displayed, if the control unit 27 detects a user operation on the HMI, it executes processing for when the corresponding operation unit is operated. For example, if the control unit 27 detects a user's touch operation on the HMI for the hazard switch displayed on the display device 2, it causes the front, rear, left, and right turn indicators to flash simultaneously.

[0025] If it is determined in step S2 that the display device 2 does not cover the operation unit of the vehicle 1 (step S2: NO), or after step S3, the control unit 27 determines whether the display device 2 covers the air outlet of the air conditioner of the vehicle 1 ( FIG. 5 : step S4). Also in step S4, the control unit 27 may determine whether the coordinates acquired in step S1 fall within the range registered in the "display range" of the record in which the air outlet is registered in the "covered equipment" in FIG. 6.

[0026] Furthermore, if it is determined that the display device 2 covers the air outlet of the air conditioner of the vehicle 1 (step S4: YES), the control unit 27 causes the display device 2 to change the operation of the air conditioner (FIG. 5: step S5). Note that it is assumed that the ECU can control a motor, a damper, or the like to change the air volume and direction from the air outlet. Specifically, it is assumed that the control registered in the "control" field in FIG. 6 is performed.

[0027] In step S5, the control unit 27 may at least either reduce the airflow rate of the air outlet covered by the display device 2 or increase the airflow rate of the air outlet not covered by the display device 2. By reducing the airflow rate of the air outlet covered by the display device 2, it is possible to control so that the blocked air outlet is not used. Furthermore, by increasing the airflow rate of the air outlet not covered by the display device 2, it is possible to use another air outlet instead of the blocked air outlet, thereby achieving an overall balance in the output of the air conditioner in the vehicle 1.

[0028] In step S5, the control unit 27 may direct the airflow direction of the air outlets not covered by the display device 2 toward the occupant closest to the air outlets covered by the display device. In this case, for example, a seating sensor provided in the seat may be used to determine the presence or absence of an occupant. Alternatively, at least some of the air outlets not covered by the display device 2 may be directed toward the airflow destination of the air outlets covered by the display device without determining the presence or absence of a seated occupant.

[0029] In step S5, the control unit 27 may lower the set temperature when the air conditioner is in cooling operation and may raise the set temperature when the air conditioner is in heating operation. Even in this case, by changing the set temperature instead of the blocked air outlet, it is possible to achieve an overall balance in the output of the air conditioner in the vehicle 1.

[0030] If it is determined in step S4 that the display device 2 does not cover the air outlet of the air conditioner of the vehicle 1 (step S4: NO), or after step S5, the control unit 27 determines whether to end the process ( FIG. 5: step S6). The control unit 27 may determine to end the process when the power of the vehicle 1 is turned off or based on a user operation. If it is determined to end the process (step S6: YES), the control unit 27 ends the position detection process of FIG. 5. On the other hand, if it is determined not to end the process (step S6: NO), the control unit 27 returns to step S1 and repeats the process.

[0031] <Effects> According to the position detection process described above, even if the equipment inside the vehicle cabin is covered by the display device, it is possible to prevent a decrease in user convenience by, for example, replacing the hidden operating unit with an HMI on the display device, or by balancing the entire interior of the vehicle cabin with the equipment that is not hidden.

[0032] <Modification 1> Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a vehicle 1 according to a modification. Note that the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are assigned the corresponding reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The display device 2 in Fig. 8 does not include the control unit 27. In this modification, the control unit 51 included in the in-vehicle device 5 executes the position detection process shown in Fig. 5. In this manner, an information processing device (e.g., the in-vehicle device 5) different from the display device 2 may control the display of the display device 2.

[0033] <Modification 2> FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display device 2 according to a modification. The display device 2 is a tablet-shaped display device equipped with a touch panel. One or more tablet holders for holding the display device 2 are provided in the vehicle interior, and the display device 2 is detachable from any of the tablet holders. In FIG. 9 , dashed lines indicate examples of positions 2A to 2E where the display device 2 can be placed. Position 2A is an example of a placement where the display device 2 is used as a PID by a passenger in the front passenger seat. Position 2B is an example of a placement where the display device 2 is used as a CID. Positions 2C and 2D are examples of a placement where the display device 2 is used with a large screen, for example, when the vehicle 1 is parked. For example, two display devices 2 may display the same video content. Position 2E is an example of a placement where the display device 2 is used as an RSE (rear seat entertainment) system.

[0034] In this modification, for example, identification information of the tablet holder on which the display device 2 is installed is acquired in step S1 of the position detection process shown in Fig. 5. Whether or not the display device 2 is installed on the tablet holder can be determined by, for example, a switch, a sensor, or the like provided on the tablet holder.

[0035] 6, an attribute of "identification information of tablet holder" is provided, and the equipment covered when the tablet holder holds the display device 2 is stored in advance in association with the identification information of the tablet holder. Then, in steps S2 and S4 of FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not there is any equipment covered by the display device 2.

[0036] According to this modification, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in arranging the display device 2, and also to prevent a decrease in convenience for the user even when the equipment inside the vehicle cabin is covered by the display device.

[0037] <Modification 3> In the above-described embodiment and modification, a portion of the display panel 25 and the touch panel 26 function as an HMI, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the display device 2 may include a physical operation unit such as a push button switch or a rotary switch. In this modification, a physical operation unit (first operation unit) included in the display device 2 functions as an HMI to replace an operation unit (second operation unit) that becomes inoperable when covered by the display device 2. As in the above-described embodiment and modification, by having at least a portion of an operation unit such as a touch panel or a physical switch function as an HMI, it is possible to prevent a decrease in user convenience when equipment inside the vehicle is hidden by the display device 2.

[0038] <Modification 4> FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display device 2 according to a modification. For convenience, the X, Y, and Z axes are defined as shown. The display device 2 is attached to the instrument panel 11 of the vehicle 1 at approximately the center in the left-right direction. In this modification, the display device 2 has a pivot (screen rotation) function. That is, the display device 2 is held rotatable between a state in which its long side is horizontal (i.e., landscape orientation) and a state in which it is rotated 90 degrees to become vertical (i.e., portrait orientation). Note that the movable range may be further rotatable beyond 90 degrees. Furthermore, the display device 2 may not only rotate but also slide left and right, for example.

[0039] FIG. 11 is a side view of the display device 2. For convenience, the X, Y, and Z axes are defined as shown in the figure, corresponding to those in FIG. 10 . The display device 2 is attached to the instrument panel 11 via a bracket 17 attached to the end of a shaft 16 extending from a base 15 fixed to the instrument panel 11. The shaft 16 is supported by a bearing (not shown) built into the base 15 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis (dashed line in FIG. 11 ) by a bearing built into the base 15. Furthermore, as the display device 2 rotates around the shaft 16, the long side of the display device 2 rotates between landscape and portrait orientations when viewed from the normal direction of the display surface (viewed from the positive direction of the Z axis to the negative direction in FIGS. 10 and 11 ). This rotation may be performed manually by a user or by a drive mechanism (not shown) built into the base 15. The long side of the display device 2 may be held at any angle θ (e.g., 45 degrees) between horizontal and vertical.

[0040] In this modification, the angle (θ) of the display device 2 is acquired in step S1 of the position detection process shown in Fig. 5. The angle can be acquired, for example, from an encoder (not shown) provided on the shaft 16, and is acquired as 0 degrees when the angle of the long side direction of the display device 2 is horizontal and as 90 degrees when it is vertical. Also, if the angle of the long side direction of the display device 2 is held at any angle between horizontal and vertical (for example, 45 degrees), this angle may be acquired. Note that if the display device 2 can be further slid left and right, the position and angle of the display are acquired.

[0041] Also, for example, instead of the attribute "display range" in the table shown in Fig. 6, an attribute "display angle" is provided, and the equipment that will be covered when the display device 2 is held at that angle is stored in advance in association with the angle of the display device 2. Then, in steps S2 and S4 of Fig. 5, it is determined whether or not there is equipment that will be covered by the display device 2. Note that if the display device 2 can also slide left and right, the equipment that will be covered is stored in advance in association with a combination of the position and angle (orientation). Note that information including at least one of the position and orientation of the display device 2 is also referred to as "arrangement information."

[0042] According to this modification, the display device 2 can be held in either portrait or landscape orientation depending on the content displayed on the display device 2, making the displayed content easier to view. For example, television broadcast images and content images on disc media such as Blu-ray (registered trademark) Discs (BDs) and Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs) are horizontally long, so holding the display device 2 in landscape orientation allows these images to be displayed as large as possible. On the other hand, when displaying a map from a car navigation system, holding the display device 2 in portrait orientation allows a wide-area map of the vehicle's direction of travel to be displayed in a heading-up display that shows the vehicle's direction of travel at the top, providing easy-to-understand route guidance for the driver. Furthermore, even in this modification, changing the angle of the display device 2 prevents a decrease in user convenience even when the display device covers equipment inside the vehicle.

[0043] <Others> Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art are possible without departing from the spirit of the claims. The configurations described in the embodiments and modifications can be implemented in appropriate combinations. Furthermore, the processing flow diagram shown in FIG. 5 may be reordered or executed in parallel without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, steps S2 and S3 may be reordered or executed in parallel with steps S4 and S5. Furthermore, the table shown in FIG. 6 is an example of a database, and the information may be properly normalized and stored in multiple tables, or denormalized and stored collectively in a single table.

[0044] The process of determining whether the display device 2 covers equipment of the vehicle 1 may be performed based on three-dimensional coordinates of the display device 2 and each piece of equipment, rather than on the uniaxial coordinates shown in FIG. 5 . The position of the display device 2 may be acquired by a switch, a sensor, or the like provided on the display device 2 or the tablet holder, or by object detection using a camera provided inside the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, hidden surface detection (visible surface detection) in 3D computer graphics may be used to identify the equipment covered by the display device 2 based on the viewpoint of the passenger. In this way, even if the position of the display device 2 is finely adjusted by panning or tilting, the position can be appropriately acquired.

[0045] In the embodiment and modifications 1-4, the display device 2 does not have to be retractable into the instrument panel 11. That is, the vehicle 1 does not have to include the mechanisms shown in FIG. 2 such as the drive unit 14.

[0046] 1: Vehicle 2: Display device 25: Display panel 26: Touch panel 27: Control unit 3: Operation button 4: Air outlet 5: In-vehicle device 51: Control unit 6: Equipment

Claims

1. A display device whose position within a vehicle cabin can be changed, comprising: a display panel; and a control unit that, when an operation unit for operating equipment provided in the vehicle becomes covered and inoperable due to a change in the position of the display device within the vehicle cabin, causes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) image that replaces the operation unit to be displayed on the display panel.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the HMI image includes an image simulating the operation unit, and when the control unit detects an operation on the HMI image by a user, the control unit executes processing that would be performed if the operation unit were operated.

3. The display device according to claim 2, further comprising a touch panel stacked on the display panel for detecting a touch operation on the HMI image, wherein the control unit, when a touch operation on the HMI image by a user is detected by the touch panel, executes processing for when the operation unit is operated.

4. A display device whose position within a vehicle cabin can be changed, comprising: a display panel; and a control unit that, when the position of the display device within the vehicle cabin is changed so that the air outlet of an air conditioner installed in the vehicle cabin is covered, changes at least one of the air volume, air direction and set temperature of the air conditioner.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit at least one of: reducing the air volume of an air outlet that is covered by the display device; and increasing the air volume of an air outlet that is not covered by the display device.

6. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit directs the airflow from the air outlet that is not covered by the display device toward a passenger closest to the air outlet that is covered by the display device.

7. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit lowers the set temperature when the air conditioner is in cooling operation, or raises the set temperature when the air conditioner is in heating operation.

8. An information processing device having a control unit that, when a user is unable to operate an operation unit installed in a vehicle cabin due to a change in the location of a display device installed in the vehicle cabin, displays an HMI (Human Machine Interface) image on the display device that replaces the operation unit.

9. An information processing device having a control unit that changes at least one of the air volume, air direction, and set temperature of an air conditioner when the air outlet of an air conditioner installed in the vehicle cabin is covered due to a change in the position of a display device in the vehicle cabin.

Images