Display control apparatus, meter system, and display control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9849783-B2
Application number	US-201315030778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2013
Priority date	Nov 15, 2013
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

There is provided a renderer 5 that renders a graphics indicator 7 b (or 7 f ) which is displayed on a display screen 7 a of a display 7 and which indicates an indication value in synchronization with a short hand 8 a.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A display control apparatus that controls display of a display having a configurable image display screen disposed on a back of a meter, the meter having a mechanically driven pointer representing a value to be displayed, the display control apparatus comprising:
a renderer to render a graphics indicator indicating an indication value of the meter provided in synchronization with the pointer so as to enhance the display of the value represented by the pointer, the graphics indicator being displayed on the display screen of the display;
a switching determiner to determine vehicle status based on an output from a sensor to determine a rendering mode of the display screen,
a display time estimator to estimate a display time at which the graphics indicator is displayed; and
a hand position estimator to estimate a position of the pointer for the display time estimated by the display time estimator, wherein
the renderer changes a display mode of the graphics indicator displayed on the display screen, according to the rendering mode determined by the switching determiner, and renders the graphics indicator to indicate the indication value in synchronization with the position of the pointer estimated by the hand position estimator to thereby enhance the display of the value represented by the pointer.

2. The display control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the display can perform display by receiving backlight light, and
the display control apparatus comprises a backlight controller to perform intermittent lighting of a backlight of the display such that the backlight is turned on at the display time.

3. The display control apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a luminance determiner to determine the vehicle status based on an output from the sensor to determine luminance of the display screen, wherein
the backlight controller adjusts a ratio of a lighting period with respect to a control cycle of the backlight so as to obtain the luminance determined by the luminance determiner, and performs intermittent lighting such that the lighting period is within a vertical blanking period.

4. The display control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the graphics indicator is graphics that display a rotation path of the pointer in a belt-like manner.

5. The display control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the graphics indicator is hand-like graphics extending from an end of the pointer.

6. A meter system comprising:
a meter having a mechanically driven pointer representing a value to be displayed:
a hand drive controller to drive the meter;
a display having a configurable image display screen disposed on a back of the meter; and
a display control apparatus to control the display screen of the display, wherein
the display control apparatus includes:
a renderer to render a graphics indicator indicating an indication value of the meter provided in synchronization with the pointer so as to enhance the display of the value represented by the pointer, the graphics indicator being displayed on the display screen of the display; and
a switching determiner to determine vehicle status based on an output from a sensor to determine a rendering mode of the display screen,
a display time estimator to estimate a display time at which the graphics indicator is displayed; and
a hand position estimator to estimate a position of the pointer for the display time estimated by the display time estimator, wherein

the renderer changes a display mode of the graphics indicator displayed on the display screen, according to the rendering mode determined by the switching determiner, and renders the graphics indicator to indicate the indication value in synchronization with the position of the pointer estimated by the hand position estimator to thereby enhance the display of the value represented by the pointer.

7. A display control method for controlling display of a display having a configurable image display screen disposed on a back of a meter, the meter having a mechanically driven pointer representing a value to be displayed, the display control method comprising:
rendering, by a renderer, a graphics indicator indicating an indication value of the meter provided in synchronization with the pointer so as to enhance the display of the value represented by the pointer, the graphics indicator being displayed on the display screen of the display;
determining, by a switching determiner, vehicle status based on an output from a sensor to determine a rendering mode of the display screen;
estimating, by a display time estimator, a display time at which the graphics indicator is displayed; and
estimating, by a hand position estimator, a position of the pointer for the display time estimated by the display time estimator, wherein
changing, by the renderer, a display mode of the graphics indicator displayed on the display screen, according to the rendering mode determined by the switching determiner, and rendering the graphics indicator to indicate the indication value in synchronization with the position of the pointer estimated by the hand position estimator to thereby enhance the display of the value represented by the pointer.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Takimoto Yasuaki
• Aikawa Masami
• Mizuguchi Takehisa
• Mori Yoshihiko
• Mitsui Takeshi
• Okuda Masakazu
• Sakai Mitsuru
• Kosakada Masahiro
• Okamoto Satoshi

Classifications

• G01D7/00 Primary

  Indicating measured values · CPC title

• B60K35/81

  for controlling displays · CPC title

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K35/29

  Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions · CPC title

• B60K35/28

  characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver · CPC title