Nissan Motor Company Limited

Central Glass Company, Limited

Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd.

Tsuyoshi Todoriki

Masao Sakata

Shigeru Okabayashi

Hiroshi Yamazaki

Yoshinori Akamatsu

Toshiro Muramatsu

Satoshi Kobayashi

Tohru Futami

Katsunori Shirahama

Junichi Fukano

Tomohisa Ishikawa

Tomio Kusagaya

In an information display system for a vehicle, an information receiving section receives positional information indicative of a present vehicle position and destination information indicative of a destination of the vehicle to derive a recommended route. A travel distance calculating section calculates a travelable distance on the basis of the obtained information. An editing section sets a travelable area of the vehicle according to the positional information, the travelable distance and guidance information, and edits route information including a recommended route within the travelable area. An outputting section displays the route information.

Information display system for vehicle

An information providing system of a vehicle providing information from an outside section to the vehicle is provided with: a communication section making a request to the outside section for transmitting a pre-selected service information and receiving the requested service information from the outside section through a communication network; a memory section storing the requested service information received from the outside section; an information providing section providing the received information stored in the memory section; a light emitting section located in a frontal visible area of the vehicle; and a control section controlling the information providing section and the light emitting section. The control section turns on the light emitting section for a first time interval when the requested service information is received and after that, allows the information providing section to provide the stored service information.

Information providing system and method

An apparatus for displaying a television image on a television monitor applicable to a vehicle passenger compartment. In the television image displaying apparatus, the television monitor is installed on a center console of a vehicle passenger compartment. A liquid crystal filter is arranged on a television monitor screen which has variable transmittance according to a voltage applied across a whole surface electrode thereof. The liquid crystal filter serves to limit an angle of visible field around a driver's seat position with a front passenger seat position being provided a high image transmittance. In addition, a louver type filter is arranged between the TV monitor screen and liquid crystal filter. The louver type filter generally has a plurality of fine louvers, each elongate direction of the louvers being aligned in the horizontal direction. However, in a first preferred embodiment, the elongate directions of the respective louvers are directed toward the driver's seat position, inclining through a predetermined angle at the driver's seat side of the louvers with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle. In a second preferred embodiment, a plurality of lamps are disposed on a peripheral position at the front passenger's seat position of the TV monitor screen. The substantially same effect as the first preferred embodiment can be achieved.

Apparatus for displaying television images applicable to automotive

A head-up display apparatus used as an instrument display of an automobile comprises a hologram combiner provided on the front windshield on which an image is displayed overlapping the field of view. The apparatus includes a display luminosity control system which varies the brightness of the display image gradually or delays an increase and decrease in the brightness in accordance with variations in the ambient light level so as to allow a driver's eyes to adapt to the variations.

Head-up display apparatus for vehicular display

A circuit and method for controlling a discharge lamp without auxiliary lamp(s) are disclosed. The discharge lamp is controlled in a warmed-up arc discharge state when, e.g., power generation of a vehicular alternator is detected. The discharge lamp is transferred from the warmed-up discharge state to an illumination arc discharge state when, e.g., an inner temperature of the discharge lamp has arrived at a predetermined value. The control of warmed-up discharge state is abruptly carried out when, e.g., the internal temperature of the discharge lamp is below the predetermined temperature. A time at which the discharge lamp is to be turned off is controlled according to the internal temperature of the other discharge lamp to be turned on.

Circuit and method for controlling luminous intensity of discharge lamps

The invention relates to a holographic display element which includes a reflection hologram and is attached to, for example, an automobile windshield so as to project light rays carrying images of display information onto the display element from a luminous source in the car. When external light such as sunlight coming is diffracted by the reflection hologram there is a possibility that visible light ranging from 570 nm (greenish yellow) to 780 nm (red) is diffracted into a certain range of angles in a horizontal plane and makes a strange impression on persons viewing the windshield from the outside. According to the invention another reflection hologram having different diffraction characteristics is superposed on the first hologram on the outer side in order that diffraction of visible light into the aforementioned range of angles may become inconspicuous. In one embodiment the second hologram diffracts light of 570-780 nm at angles outside the aforementioned range of angles thereby to prevent undesirable diffraction by the first hologram. In another embodiment the second hologram diffracts different wavelengths into the range of angles so that additive color mixing with visible light diffracted from the first hologram results in whitening of diffracted light or reduction in the excitation purity of diffracted light as viewed outside the vehicle.

Holographic display element

A CRT display system for a vehicle is provided, the system comprises a CRT for displaying images, vehicle information, or so forth, a liquid crystal panel assembly disposed in front of the CRT, a vehicle information sensor, and control means for the liquid crystal panel. The vehicle information sensor is adapted for determining whether the vehicle is running or not and whether an ambient light level is high or low to provide signals indicative thereof. The control means is operable to control the transmission factor of the liquid crystal panel so as to limit a visual angle for the driver in response to the signals output from the vehicle information sensor. When the ambient light level is low and the vehicle is running, the control means controls the liquid crystal panel assembly so as to reduce the transmission factor thereof to a first level with the result that no images from the CRT are projected to the driver through the panel assembly although passengers may clearly see the images. When the vehicle is parked, the images from the CRT are provided to the driver and passengers. On the other hand, when the ambient light level is low and the vehicle is running, the transmission factor is reduced to a second level lower than the first level to interrupt the light of images from the CRT to the driver completely, although passengers may clearly see the images.

Display apparatus for vehicle

A shift lever unit is disclosed, which comprises a shift lever; a housing of plastic having an upper cover portion, the upper cover portion being formed with a slot through which the shift lever passes; a position mark plate of transparent plastic mounted on the upper cover portion, the position mark plate having a plurality of position marks on an upper surface thereof; a light blocking layer covering the upper surface of the position mark plate except the positions where the position marks are located; a light source installed in the housing; a light conductive member of transparent plastic, the light conductive member including a horizontal part whose leading end is formed with a first light reflecting surface and located behind the position mark plate, a vertical part which is formed with a rounded recess from which the light rays from the light source enter the vertical part, and a jointed part at which the horizontal and vertical parts are jointed, the jointed part being formed with a second light reflecting surface by which the light rays from the rounded recess is reflected toward the first light reflecting surface; a plurality of raised window portions formed by the horizontal part of the light conductive member, the window portions being exposed to the outside of the housing at positions beside the position marks; and a pointer movably located within the housing below the raised window portions, the pointer being movable together with the shift lever, wherein the first light reflecting surface is granulated.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Tsuyoshi Todoriki