Vehicular Display Panel Switching for Door-Obscured Images

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Solution Overview

Problem

In automatic driving vehicles, display panels on vehicle bodies can be obscured by movable parts like doors or windows, reducing visibility and display effectiveness, and high-resolution panels increase costs.

Innovation Solution

The vehicular display device includes multiple panels with varying resolutions, and an image control unit adjusts display forms based on the operation of doors or windows, ensuring images are displayed on visible panels, and images are transferred or resized as needed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a display panel is provided on the vehicle body, then the display effect is enhanced, but the image cannot be visually recognized due to opening and closing of the door

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay effectVSAvoidimage visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the display system adaptive to door movement states. The control unit detects door opening/closing operations and dynamically switches between the first display panel (on vehicle body) and the second display panel (on door) to ensure continuous image visibility. This resolves the contradiction by making the display system flexible rather than static, allowing it to adapt its configuration based on real-time door position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The control unit acts as an intermediary that manages the transition of image display between the first display panel and the second display panel. When the door opens, the control unit transfers the image from the vehicle body panel to the door panel, ensuring seamless continuity. This intermediary mechanism resolves the visibility issue by coordinating between multiple display components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If a high-resolution display panel is used, then the image quality is improved, but the cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidcost
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different resolution requirements to different display panels based on their specific functions and viewing conditions. The first display panel (on vehicle body) and the second display panel (on door) can have different resolutions, with each optimized for its particular use case. This allows the system to achieve overall high image quality without requiring all panels to be high-resolution, thereby reducing costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Area of stationary object

If the display panel is arranged on the vehicle body including window, then the display surface area is increased, but the image is obscured by the window

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay surface areaVSAvoidimage visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the display system into multiple independent display panels: a first display panel arranged on the vehicle body (including window areas) and a second display panel arranged on the door. This segmentation allows the system to maintain large total display area while ensuring that images can be displayed on visible portions. When the window obscures part of the display, the system can switch to or supplement with the door-mounted panel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3889948B1Vehicular display device
Publication Date: 2026.03.11 KOITO MFG CO LTD
  • EP3889948B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3889948B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3889948B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A vehicular display device includes at least one display panel arranged on a vehicle body of a vehicle and configured to display an image, and a display control unit configured to control display of the image. The display panel includes a movable portion provided on the vehicle body, and the display control unit includes an image control unit configured to control a display form of an image when the movable portion is operated. An image displayed on a display panel in a state where the display is hidden due to the operation of the movable portion is displayed on the display panel of the movable portion.