CN111086463B - Display assembly for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a display assembly (20) for a vehicle (12), comprising: a mounting panel (22) of the carrier (12), a display device (24) secured to the mounting panel (22), the display device (24) defining a display surface (28) and a normal axis passing through a center of the display surface (28). The display device (24) is mounted for rotational movement relative to the mounting panel (22) about a rotational axis that forms a non-zero angle with the normal axis in all positions of the display device (24).

Description

Display assembly for vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a display assembly for a carrier, comprising:

- The vehicle's mounting panels,

- A display device, fixed to the mounting panel, the display device defining a display surface and a normal axis passing through the centre of the display surface.

Background technique

This type of display device has many functions for the driver, the passenger or both. Thus, the display device allows, for example, the display of information related to the driving of the vehicle, such as the speed of the vehicle, the distance travelled, geographical location information of a satellite guidance system, images provided by a rear-view camera, etc. The display device is, for example, touch-screen and thus forms a control interface for adjusting the functions on board. Finally, when the vehicle is parked or in the case of an autonomous vehicle in driving phases where the driver is not required to control the vehicle, the display device can, for example, be used by the driver and/or passenger of the vehicle as a multimedia display device for viewing audiovisual content, browsing the Internet or as a workstation.

Typically, display devices of this type are integrated into a mounting element, such as a covering of an instrument panel, a mounting of a seat, etc. Depending on the user (driver and/or passenger) and on the function of the display device used, the ergonomics, in particular the human-machine interaction (distance between user and device, visibility of the display surface, etc.) are not optimal.

Summary of the invention

The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks by providing a display assembly that allows to improve and facilitate the human-machine interaction inside the vehicle, depending on the functionality of the display device under consideration.

To this end, the invention relates to a display assembly for a vehicle of the aforementioned type, wherein the display device is mounted so as to be rotatably movable relative to the mounting panel between a plurality of positions about a rotation axis which forms a non-zero angle with the normal axis in all positions of the display device.

Thus, when the display device is rotated, the display surface of the device is simultaneously oriented in a preferred direction, for example towards the passenger or the driver. For the passenger or the driver, the visibility of the display device is improved and the interaction between the passenger or the driver and the display device is facilitated. Depending on the information displayed on the display device and on the function used by the device, the display device can be simply configured in a position in which the display surface is visible to both the driver and the passenger and in a position in which the display surface is visible only to the driver or the passenger. In addition, since a simple rotation of the display device allows its orientation to be changed in three dimensions, the displacement mechanism of the display device is particularly simple.

The housing according to the present invention may include one or more of the following features, which may be used alone or in any possible technical combination:

- the display device is movable between at least a first position and a second position, the display device being in a landscape mode in the first position and in a portrait mode in the second position;

The assembly further comprises a fixed support member, the fixed support member comprising a front surface fixed to the display device and a back surface fixed to the mounting panel, a plane tangent to the center of the front surface and a plane tangent to the center of the back surface form a non-zero angle, and the fixed support member can be rotated and moved around an axis relative to the mounting panel.

- the display device is also movable relative to the mounting panel between a deployed position and a retracted position, the distance between the intersection point between the axis of rotation and the display surface and the mounting panel being greater in the deployed position than in the retracted position;

- in the retracted position, the display device is in a first position, and in the deployed position, the display device is in a second position;

- The display device can move in a straight line or a curve relative to the mounting panel;

- the display surface of the display device or the projection of the display surface of the display device onto a plane tangential to the center of the display surface is substantially rectangular;

- the display surface of the display device is curved;

- the assembly further comprises an internal mounting element comprising a console of the display device, an edge of the display device being in contact with the mounting element in the second position of the display device;

- the control console and/or the interior assembly elements are movable in translation relative to the assembly panel;

The present invention also relates to a carrier, comprising:

- a driver's seat for receiving the driver of the vehicle, and

A display assembly as described above, the axis of rotation being oriented towards the driver's seat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the following description given purely as a non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a display assembly according to the invention, respectively in a first position and a second position according to a preferred embodiment;

- FIGS. 3 , 4 and 5 are respectively a front view, a side view and a top view of the display device of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 ;

- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to certain embodiments when the device is rotated;

- Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the display device in a first position; and

- Figures 8 and 9 are top views of a display assembly according to the invention, respectively in a first position and a second position.

Detailed ways

1 and 2 show a vehicle compartment 10 of a vehicle 12 , which includes a driver's seat 14 , a passenger seat 16 , an interior fitting element 18 arranged between the driver's seat 14 and the passenger seat 16 , and a display assembly 20 according to the invention.

In the following description, the term "longitudinal" is defined relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle 12. The terms "upper" and "lower" are defined relative to a substantially vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The terms "left", "right", "front" and "rear" are defined relative to the general direction of travel of the vehicle 12.

The display assembly 20 includes a mounting panel 22 and a display device 24 fixed to the mounting panel 22 .

The mounting panel 22 comprises an outer surface 26 oriented towards the interior of the vehicle compartment 10. According to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer surface 26 is a dashboard extending facing the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The invention can also be applied to rear seats, in which case the mounting panel 22 is formed, for example, by a rear mounting of one of the front seats or by a center console located between the front seats.

The display device 24 is, for example, a screen or a backlit surface.

As a variant, the display device 24 is a control panel including control keys.

Preferably, the screen or backlight surface is tactile, that is, the user can control the display device by directly touching the display device.For this purpose, the display device for example comprises a capacitive film covering the screen or backlight surface.

The display device 24 defines a display surface 28 .

Advantageously, the display surface 28 is curved. Thus, the display surface 28 is less sensitive to reflections.

The display surface 28 also defines a normal axis N that passes through the center of the display surface, as shown in FIG. 3 .

The normal axis N is an axis perpendicular to a plane tangential to the center of the display surface 28 .

According to a preferred embodiment, in the case where the display surface 28 is curved, the display surface 28 of the display device 24 or a projection of the display surface 28 of the display device 24 in a plane tangent to the center of the display surface 28 is substantially rectangular.

The center of display surface 28 corresponds to the center of gravity of display surface 28. For example, if display surface 28 is rectangular, the center of display surface 28 corresponds to the intersection of diagonal lines of display surface 28.

According to the invention, the display device 24 is mounted so as to be rotatably movable relative to the mounting panel 22 between a plurality of positions about a rotation axis R which forms a non-zero angle θ with the normal axis N in all positions of the display device 24 .

For example, the display device 24 is rotatably movable between at least a first position ( FIGS. 1 and 8 ) and a second position ( FIGS. 2 and 9 ).

According to an embodiment, the rotation axis R passes through the center of the display surface 28 .

Preferably, the rotation axis R does not pass through the center of the display surface 28. The rotation axis R is offset relative to the center of the display surface 28.

Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the display device 24 can be configured between a first position in the landscape mode ( FIG. 1 ) and a second position in the portrait mode ( FIG. 2 ) by applying an angular rotation between 80° and 100°, for example, 87° clockwise or counterclockwise around the rotation axis R, as shown in FIGS. 6 , 8 and 9 . In practice, the rotation angle for displacing the display device 24 from the landscape mode toward the portrait mode (or vice versa) depends on the angle formed between the rotation axis R and the normal axis N in the first position.

In portrait mode, the height of display surface 28 is greater than its width. Conversely, in landscape mode, the width of display surface 28 is greater than its height.

The different display modes are particularly suitable for optimizing the display surface 28 according to the information displayed and the use of the display device 24. Thus, for example, in landscape mode audiovisual content is visualized, while in portrait mode control panels for different functions of the vehicle can be visualized. For example, in portrait mode the upper part of the display surface displays geographical location information, while the lower part has different icons allowing different functions of the vehicle to be controlled.

Advantageously, therefore, during the rotational movement, the display surface 28 of the device 24 is simultaneously oriented in a preferred direction, for example towards the passenger seat 16 or the driver's seat 14 .

Due to the curvature of display surface 28, display surface 28 has better ergonomics in portrait mode, in particular allowing better access to the upper and lower parts of display surface 28, which is particularly advantageous when display surface 28 is a touch screen.

An example of the construction of a display device 24 according to the present invention is shown in a perspective view in Fig. 6. For the sake of simplification, only a display surface 28 of the display device 24 is schematically shown in the form of a rectangle.

Rectangle ABCD represents display surface 28 in landscape mode. Display surface 28 is divided into four quadrants: upper left quadrant 30, upper right quadrant 32, lower left quadrant 34, and lower right quadrant 36, which are defined by perpendicular bisectors of display surface 28 sides.

After rotating 90° clockwise about the rotation axis R relative to the mounting panel 22, points A, B, C, D, E and F are displaced to A', B', C', D', E' and F', respectively. Points A' and B' are located in front of the plane defined by the surface ABCD, while points C' and D' are located behind the plane defined by the display surface ABCD.

In the particular example of FIG. 6 , points E, O and E′ lie in the plane defined by surface ABCD.

To obtain this particular configuration, the axis of rotation R of the display device 24 lies in the median plane P of the segment EE′ and forms a non-zero angle θ with the normal axis N.

Preferably, in the first position, the angle θ is between 5° and 25°, such as 15°.

The absolute value of the angle remains the same in the first position and the second position.

The axis of rotation R is therefore oriented, for example, in the upper left quadrant 30 , ie toward the driver's seat 14 .

A simple rotation of the display device 24 through a 90° angle thus allows both a change in the orientation of the display device 24 (e.g., from landscape mode to portrait mode) and placement of the display device 24 in a secant plane relative to the longitudinal plane of the vehicle 12. This improves visibility of the display device 24 to the driver in portrait mode.

Furthermore, the display device 24 is displaced downwards when changing from the first position to the second position by virtue of the specific positioning of the axis of rotation R. This is particularly advantageous since the driver is not hindered by the upper part of the display device 28 when the display device is in the second position.

The position of the axis of rotation R is also selected so that the display device 24 is not displaced too far downwards and thus prevents the display device 24 from striking the driver's knees.

The display device 24 is oriented toward the driver, which also improves the accessibility of the display device 24 for the driver.

The axis of rotation R is defined as a function of the orientation of the display device 24 in the first position and the desired orientation of the display device 24 in the second position.

Therefore, while considering the first position in which the tangent plane of the display surface 28 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (for example, as shown in FIG. 6 ), if the rotation axis R is oriented to the left (the upper left quadrant 30 and the lower left quadrant 34), then when the display device 24 is in the second position, the display device 24 (i.e., the normal axis N of the display surface 28) is oriented to the left.

Conversely, if the rotation axis R is oriented to the right (upper right quadrant 28 and lower right quadrant 36 ), the display device 24 (ie, the normal axis N of the display surface 28 ) is oriented to the right when the display device 24 is in the second position.

In the same manner, if the rotation axis R is oriented downward (lower left and right quadrants 34, 36), the display device 24 (ie, the normal axis N of the display surface 28) is oriented downward when the display device 24 is in the second position.

Conversely, if the rotation axis R is oriented upward (upper left quadrant 34 and upper right quadrant 32), then when display device 24 is in the second position, display device 24 (ie, normal axis N of display surface 28) is oriented upward.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 6 , it is desired that the display device 24 is oriented toward the driver and slightly upward in the second position, so that the axis of rotation R is oriented to the left and upward (upper left quadrant 30 ) relative to the longitudinal axis.

According to an embodiment, the display assembly 20 includes a fixed support 38 ( FIG. 4 ) and a fixed arm 43 ( FIG. 7 ). The fixed support 38 includes a front face 42 fixed to the display device 24 and a rear face 44 fixed to the mounting panel 22 , for example, via the fixed arm 43 .

A plane tangent to the center of the front face 42 and a plane tangent to the center of the rear face 44 form a non-zero angle. By the center of the front face 42 or the center of the rear face 44 is to be understood the centroid of the corresponding face.

The fixed support 38 is movable in rotation relative to the mounting panel 22 about an axis R. The axis R is substantially perpendicular to a rear face 44 of the fixed support 38 .

The fixing support 38 has, for example, a truncated cylindrical shape, as can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 7 , comprising a circular base 46 corresponding to the rear face 44 of the fixing support 38 and an elliptical face corresponding to the front face 42 .

The circular base 46 is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis R of the display device 24 .

Preferably, if the rear face 48 of the display device 24 is curved, the front face 42 of the fixed support 38 defines a surface that is complementary to the surface of the rear face 48 of the display device 24 .

As a variant (not shown), the fixed support 38 is in the form of a right prism with a triangular base, each of the rectangular faces of which corresponds to the front and rear faces.

Advantageously, the display device 24 is also movable relative to the mounting panel 22 between a deployed position ( FIGS. 2 and 9 ) and a retracted position ( FIGS. 1 and 8 ), or vice versa. The intersection point between the axis of rotation (R) and the display surface ( 28 ) is at a greater distance from the mounting panel 22 in the deployed position than in the retracted position.

Thus, in the deployed position, the display device 24 protrudes relative to the mounting panel 22 and is close to the seat facing the mounting panel.

In the retracted position, the rear face 48 of the display device 24 is in contact with the mounting panel 22 , for example.

As a variant, in the retracted position, the display surface 28 is flush with the outer surface 26 of the mounting panel 22 .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display device 24 is in landscape mode in the retracted position ( FIG. 1 ) and in portrait mode in the deployed position ( FIG. 2 ), or in other words, in the retracted position, the display device 24 is in a first position, and in the deployed position, the display device 24 is in a second position.

Thus, in the retracted position, the display surface 28 is optimally oriented such that the display surface 28 is visible to all occupants of the vehicle 12 .

In the deployed position, the display surface 28 is oriented so as to be more particularly and optimally visible by the driver ( FIG. 7 ). The deployed position in portrait mode allows facilitating the interaction between the display device 24 and the driver.

Advantageously, therefore, the display device 24 is movable in translation relative to the mounting panel 22 .

More specifically, the fixing arm 43 is movable in translation relative to the mounting panel 22. Preferably, the mounting panel 22 comprises a fixing arm inner receiving volume receiving the fixing arm 43 in the retracted position, the fixing arm 43 being thus covered by the display surface 28 in this position.

According to an embodiment, the rotation of the display device 24 about the rotation axis R relative to the mounting panel 22 and the translation of the display device 24 are dependent on each other. Thus, when changing from the retracted position to the deployed position, the display device 24 can move in a translational direction toward the driver in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the display device 24 is away from the mounting panel 22.

According to an embodiment, the translation is curvilinear. The display device 24 is displaced, for example, relative to the mounting panel 22 along a descending linear trajectory towards the driver's seat 14 .

Thus, in the deployed position, the display device 24 is lower than in the retracted position. Thus, the driver's field of vision is not disturbed while driving. In addition, the curvilinear translation of the display device 24 allows particularly visually pleasing displacement kinematics to be obtained.

As a variant, the translation is along a straight line substantially perpendicular to the axis of the mounting panel 22 .

Preferably, the interior assembly element 18 comprises a control console 50 for the display device 24. The control console 50 comprises, for example, at least one key, a knob and/or a joystick and/or a touch pad, allowing at least one function of the display device 24 to be controlled.

In the deployed position ( FIG. 2 ), the edge 52 of the display device 24 is in contact with the inner mounting element 18 . Thus, ergonomics are improved and interaction with the display device 24 is facilitated.

According to an embodiment, the console 50 and/or the interior fitting element 18 are movable in translation in the longitudinal direction relative to the fitting panel 22 such that in the deployed position the edge 52 of the display device 24 contacts the console 50 and/or the interior fitting element 18 .

According to another feature, the display assembly 20 includes a locking device for locking the display device 24 from rotating about the axis R, which is used to prevent the display device 24 from rotating beyond the first position and/or the second position and/or to keep the display device 24 stable in the first position and the second position.

The transition of the display device 24 between the first position and the second position is achieved, for example, by a manual action of a user on the display device 24 .

As a variant, the transition of the display device 24 between the first position and the second position is achieved by an automatic position control device of the display device 24 .

Thus, the display assembly 20 according to the invention has improved ergonomics and has a configuration adapted to the user and the function of the display device 24 used. When the display device 24 is in the retracted position in the landscape mode, the display surface 28 is visible to all passengers of the vehicle 12. When the display device 24 is in the deployed position in the portrait mode, visibility is optimal for the driver without interfering with the driver's field of vision. Finally, the transition between the retracted position and the deployed position (and vice versa) is easily achieved.

Claims (7)

1. A display assembly (20) for a vehicle (12), comprising:

-a mounting panel (22) of the carrier (12),

-A display device (24) fixed to the mounting panel (22), the display device (24) defining a display surface (28) and a normal axis (N) passing through the center of the display surface (28),

Characterized in that the display device (24) is mounted so as to be movable in rotation relative to the mounting panel (22) about a rotation axis (R) forming a non-zero angle with the normal axis (N) in all positions of the display device (24),

Wherein the display device is in landscape mode in the first position and in portrait mode in the second position,

The display assembly (20) further comprises an inner mounting element (18) having a console (50) of the display device (24), an edge (52) of the display device (24) being in contact with the inner mounting element (18) in the second position of the display device (24),

Wherein the display device (24) is further movable relative to the mounting panel (22) between a deployed position and a retracted position, wherein in the retracted position the display device (24) is in the first position and in the deployed position the display device (24) is in the second position,

Upon transitioning from the retracted position to the extended position, the display device (24) is displaced relative to the mounting panel (22) along a downlink trajectory toward a driver seat (14) of the vehicle.

2. The display assembly (20) of claim 1, further comprising a fixed support (38) having a front face (42) fixed to the display device (24) and a rear face (44) fixed to the mounting panel (22), a plane tangential to a center of the front face (42) and a plane tangential to a center of the rear face (44) forming a non-zero angle, the fixed support (38) being rotatable about the axis (R) relative to the mounting panel (22).

3. The display assembly (20) of claim 1, wherein a distance between an intersection between the rotation axis (R) and the display surface (28) and the mounting panel (22) is greater in the extended position than in the retracted position.

4. The display assembly (20) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display surface (28) of the display device (24) or a projection of the display surface (28) of the display device (24) in a plane tangential to a center of the display surface (28) is rectangular.

5. The display assembly (20) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the display surface (28) of the display device (24) is curved.

6. The display assembly (20) of claim 1, wherein the console (50) and/or the internal mounting element (18) are translatable relative to the mounting panel (22).

7. A carrier (12), comprising:

-a driver seat (14) for receiving a driver of the vehicle (12), and

-A display assembly (20) according to claim 1 or 2, the rotation axis (R) being oriented towards the driver's seat (14).