JP2006199209A - Device to mount personal computer on vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device to mount a portable type personal computer which the driver is using usually, in the cabin of a vehicle removably, capable of connecting the home, company, etc. seamlessly with inside the cabin, preventing the external light from glaring or the personal computer being reflected on the windshield when the computer is mounted in the cabin, and of enhancing the visibility. <P>SOLUTION: The device to mount the type personal computer on the vehicle is structured so that the portable type personal computer 4 is mounted revovably inside an instrument panel 2, wherein the display surface 4d of the computer 4 is arranged visible from inside the cabin by installing it in the down facing condition so as to avoid glaring of the external light or its being reflected on the windshield. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a personal computer in-vehicle device that enables a personal computer to be mounted on a vehicle and used.

Conventionally, a mobile phone or a PDA (mobile terminal) is brought into the passenger compartment, and mail and navigation information are directly drawn on the display surface. In addition, a technique for preparing a dedicated installation location for a PDA and transmitting / receiving information to / from the outside of the vehicle by connecting to a GPS is known (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).
JP 2002-236632 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-127834 Japanese Patent Publication No.6-1865

However, in the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, since the display surface of the PDA or the mobile phone is very small, the visibility is poor, and the amount of information that can be displayed at one time is small.
In addition, when a notebook personal computer having a larger display surface is brought into the vehicle compartment and used, there is a problem that there is no installation space in the vehicle compartment and the usability is very poor.

  In addition, external light is reflected on the display surface of the above-mentioned PDA, mobile phone, and notebook personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as external light reflection), or the drawing of the display surface is reflected on the front window (hereinafter referred to as front window). These may not only deteriorate the visibility but also hinder the driving of the driver.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a portable personal computer that is normally used by a driver in a detachable manner in a vehicle interior and a home or company outside the vehicle. A personal computer in-vehicle device that can be used seamlessly in the vehicle interior and that can improve visibility by preventing external light reflection and reflection on the front window when a portable personal computer is installed in the vehicle interior. Is to provide.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a personal computer on-vehicle device that allows a personal computer to be used in a vehicle, wherein the portable personal computer is detachably provided inside an instrument panel of the vehicle, The display surface of the portable personal computer is provided so as to face downward so as to avoid reflection of external light and reflection on the front window, so that the portable personal computer can be viewed from the passenger compartment.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the personal computer on-vehicle apparatus according to the first aspect, a reflection mirror is provided in an inclined state with respect to the display surface of the portable personal computer, and the display surface of the portable personal computer is drawn. It is characterized by being reflected from a reflecting mirror and visible from the passenger compartment.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the personal computer on-vehicle apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the portable personal computer is detachably provided at the bottom of a hood provided in a state of protruding from the instrument panel into the vehicle compartment. It is characterized by that.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the personal computer on-vehicle apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the hood is a meter panel hood.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the personal computer on-vehicle device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the reflection mirror is a half mirror, and a display device is provided on the inside of the instrument panel of the reflection mirror, The drawing of the display device is reflected on the half mirror so as to be visible from the passenger compartment.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, since the portable personal computer is detachably provided inside the instrument panel of the vehicle, a large amount of information can be simultaneously transmitted to the driver by seamlessly connecting the vehicle interior with the home or company outside the vehicle. A personal computer vehicle-mounted device that can be provided and is easy to use can be realized.

  Further, since the display surface of the portable personal computer is provided in a state of being directed downward so as to avoid reflection of external light and reflection on the front window, the display surface is more visible than the conventional invention. Greatly improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, a reflection mirror is provided in a state inclined with respect to the display surface of the portable personal computer, and the drawing on the display surface of the portable personal computer is reflected on the reflection mirror for display. Therefore, a portable personal computer can be installed in the instrument panel in a space-saving manner.

  Moreover, the space inside the instrument panel inside the reflection mirror can be effectively used.

  In the invention described in claim 3, since the portable personal computer is detachably provided on the bottom of the hood provided in a state of protruding from the instrument panel into the vehicle compartment, the hood can be used to reflect outside light and to the front window. Can be reduced.

  In the invention according to claim 4, since the hood is a meter panel hood, it is possible to provide a hood that matches the size of the display surface by sharing the hood and the portable personal computer. There is no need to manufacture an instrument panel having a special shape for each size of the surface, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, a portable personal computer can usually be provided at the bottom of the hood of the meter panel that is most highly visible from the driver's seat and is located at the same time, and the portable personal computer can be easily attached and detached. The driver can obtain various information by looking at the drawing on the display surface without taking an unreasonable posture.

  In the invention according to claim 5, the reflection mirror is a half mirror, a display device is provided on the inside of the instrument panel of the reflection mirror, and the drawing of the display device is reflected on the half mirror to be visually recognized from the interior of the vehicle. In order to enable this, drawing on the display surface of the portable personal computer and drawing on the display device can be displayed simultaneously or separately on the half mirror, and various information can be displayed on the half mirror and provided to the driver.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Example 1 will be described below.
1 is a diagram for explaining a personal computer on-vehicle apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portable personal computer at home or at a company, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the portable personal computer when being carried. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a portable personal computer when mounted in the passenger compartment.
FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram of the personal computer on-vehicle apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the overall configuration will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the personal computer on-vehicle apparatus of the present embodiment mainly includes an instrument panel 2, a meter panel hood 3, and a portable personal computer 4 provided in a vehicle interior 1.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a front window, and 6 denotes a roof.

  A meter panel hood 3 that is integrally formed with the instrument panel 2 is provided in the center of the instrument panel 2 or on the driver's seat side so as to protrude toward the inside of the vehicle interior.

  The bottom of the meter panel hood 3 is provided with a fixing portion (not shown) for detachably fixing a portable personal computer 4 described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the portable personal computer 4 is a so-called notebook personal computer or tablet personal computer having excellent portability, and a display portion 4a and a main body portion 4b having substantially the same external shape are indicated by an arrow at a hinge portion 4c. It is connected and fixed so that it can be folded in the A direction and the arrow B direction.
Specifically, when carrying the portable personal computer 4, as shown in FIG. 3, it is folded in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 so that the display surface 4d of the display section 4a and the keyboard 4e of the main body section 4b are aligned. It can be carried around with.
Further, when the portable personal computer 4 is used in a passenger compartment, as shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 4a and the main unit 4b are folded in the direction of arrow B in FIG. It can be used in the state that has been.

  Further, the portable personal computer 4 is provided with a fixed portion (not shown) that can be attached to and detached from the bottom portion of the meter panel hood 3, and the portable personal computer 4 can be configured as described with reference to FIG. The display surface 4d faces downward and can be detachably fixed to the bottom of the meter panel hood 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the portable personal computer 4 includes an external input / output terminal 10 such as a USB port, and a CAN (controller area / computer) is connected via an interface 11 provided on the instrument panel 2. Network) network cable 12 is connected to ECU 13 (engine control unit), various sensors 14 such as a vehicle speed sensor and a fuel sensor.

  The portable personal computer 4 includes a communication line connection terminal 15 so that information such as the Internet and electronic mail can be transmitted and received via a communication terminal 16 such as a mobile phone or a modem.

  A plate-like reflection mirror 8 is provided on the base end side of the meter panel hood 3 so as to form a predetermined angle α (45 ° in this embodiment) with the display surface 4d of the portable personal computer 4. It has been.

Next, the operation will be described.
When using the personal computer in-vehicle apparatus configured as described above, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the portable personal computer 4 is used at home or in the vehicle interior, and as described with reference to FIG. The keyboard 4e can be carried in a folded state.

  When the portable personal computer 4 is used in the passenger compartment, as described with reference to FIG. 4, it is inserted into the bottom of the meter panel hood 3 and fixed in a state where the display surface 4d is folded so as to be the lower surface on the front side. The external input / output terminal 10 and the communication line connection terminal 15 are connected to the vehicle side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the portable personal computer 4 mounted in the vehicle interior in this way has a predetermined angle (45 ° in this embodiment) between the display surface 4d of the portable personal computer 4 and the reflection mirror 8. The drawing 9 (illustrated by a two-dot chain arrow) on the display surface 4d is reflected by the reflecting mirror 8 and enters the driver's eyes 17.

  That is, the driver sees the virtual image 18 reflected on the reflection mirror 8.

  Moreover, since the external light 19 (illustrated by a broken line arrow) that enters the vehicle interior 1 through the front window 5 is blocked by the meter panel hood 3, good visibility of the drawing 9 can be secured.

  Further, a part 19a (illustrated by a one-dot chain line arrow) of the external light incident on the reflection mirror 8 is reflected to the roof 6 side, so that the drawing 9 is reflected on the front window 5 and may hinder the driver's driving. There is no.

  The drawing on the display surface 4d is displayed when the driver makes a request through the user interface 11. For example, the information stored in the portable personal computer 4 is displayed by the ECU 13 and various sensors 14 obtained by CAN. Various information such as vehicle information such as vehicle speed and fuel remaining amount, Internet information and e-mail information via the communication terminal 16, and information displayed in a normal meter panel can be displayed.

Note that specific information may be automatically displayed simultaneously with the mounting of the portable personal computer 4 on the vehicle.
Moreover, you may comprise so that the angle of the reflective mirror 8 can be adjusted so that it can respond to the said driver | operator's physique and attitude | position.

Next, the effect will be described.
In the personal computer in-vehicle apparatus configured as described above, the portable personal computer 4 is detachably provided in the instrument panel 2 of the vehicle, and the display surface 4d of the portable personal computer 4 is provided with an external light reflection or Since it is provided in a state of being directed downward so as to avoid reflection on the front window and is visible from the vehicle interior, the visibility of the display surface 4d can be greatly improved compared to the conventional invention.
Further, since the visibility of the display surface 4d is improved, the luminance of the display surface 4d can be lowered compared to the conventional invention, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  Moreover, the driver can use the portable personal computer 4 in an easy posture without being troubled by the installation location of the portable personal computer 4.

  In addition, since the portable personal computer 4 used at home or at the company is directly mounted on the vehicle, it is not necessary to communicate with the home or the company or to transfer data via a medium such as a CD-ROM or MO.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a large amount of information to the driver at the same time by making the interior of the vehicle and the outside of the vehicle and the interior of the vehicle seamless and excellent in usability.

  Further, since the reflecting mirror 8 is provided in an inclined state with respect to the display surface 4d of the portable personal computer 4 and the drawing 9 on the display surface 4d of the portable personal computer 4 is reflected on the reflecting mirror 8, the space is saved. Thus, the portable personal computer 4 can be installed in the instrument panel 2.

  In addition, the space O inside the instrument panel 2 inside the reflection mirror 8 (the hatched area surrounded by the triangle in FIG. 1) can be used effectively, and various peripheral parts such as air conditioning ducts and electrical wiring harnesses can be used here. Can be arranged.

  Since the portable personal computer 4 is detachably provided on the bottom of the meter panel hood 3 of the instrument panel 2, the size of the display surface 4d can be obtained by sharing the meter panel hood 3 and the portable personal computer 4. Therefore, it is not necessary to manufacture the instrument panel 2 having a dedicated molding for each size of the display surface 4d, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the meter panel is usually arranged at the position that is most visible from the driver's seat and is close, the portable personal computer 4 is provided at the bottom of the meter panel hood 3 so that the portable personal computer 4 can be attached and detached. The driver can obtain various information by looking at the drawing 9 on the display surface 4d without taking an unreasonable posture.

  Example 2 will be described below.

  In the personal computer in-vehicle apparatus of the second embodiment, the reflection mirror described in the first embodiment is the half mirror 20, and the drawing 22 is reflected on the half mirror 20 on the inside of the instrument panel 2 of the half mirror 20. Since it is the same as that of the said Example 1 except having provided the display apparatus 21 which can display, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same structural member, the description is abbreviate | omitted, and only a difference is explained in full detail.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a personal computer on-vehicle apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the personal computer on-vehicle apparatus of the second embodiment, a half mirror 20 is provided instead of the reflection mirror described in the first embodiment.

In addition, a display device 21 capable of displaying the half mirror 20 by reflecting a drawing on a display surface (not shown) in the space O formed inside the instrument panel 2 of the half mirror 20 is provided.
Specifically, the portable personal computer 4 reflects the drawing 9 on the display surface 4 d to the half mirror 20 and displays it to the driver, while the display device 21 displays the drawing 23 on the display surface 22 on the half mirror 20. Projected and displayed to the driver.

  The drawing 22 on the display surface of the display device 21 is preferably configured to display vehicle information. For example, when some trouble occurs in the portable personal computer 4 and the drawing 9 is not displayed on the display surface 4d, If it is displayed on the display device 21 instead of the portable personal computer 4 or the display device 21 displays a warning or minimum necessary simple information, it functions as a fail safe of the portable personal computer 4.

  Therefore, in the personal computer in-vehicle apparatus of the second embodiment, the drawing 9 on the display surface 4d of the portable personal computer 4 and the drawing 23 on the display surface 22 of the display device 21 can be displayed on the half mirror 20 simultaneously or separately. Can provide various information to the driver.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and design changes and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the portable personal computer 4 is detachably provided at the bottom of the meter panel hood 3 has been described. However, the instrument panel hood 3 projects separately from the meter panel hood 3 toward the vehicle interior 1 side. It is naturally possible to form the same hood and to provide the portable personal computer 4 described in this embodiment.

  Further, it is not necessary to display the entire display surface of the portable personal computer 4 to the driver via the reflecting mirror 8 (half mirror 20), and the contents of the drawing 9 (drawing 23) can be selected and determined as appropriate.

Furthermore, although what is installed in the space O can be set as appropriate, it is preferable that the meter panel is also used as the portable personal computer 4.
As another example of the display device 21 described in the second embodiment, for example, a conventional navigation unit, TV unit, music unit, or the like may be used. These drawing and drawing on the display surface 4d of the portable personal computer 4 may be performed. 9 may be displayed on the half mirror 20 simultaneously or separately.

It is a figure explaining the personal computer vehicle-mounted apparatus of Example 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the portable personal computer in a home or a company. It is a perspective view which shows the portable personal computer at the time of carrying. It is a perspective view which shows the portable personal computer at the time of mounting in a vehicle interior. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a personal computer on-vehicle apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the personal computer vehicle-mounted apparatus of Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car interior 2 Instrument panel 3 Meter panel hood 4 Portable personal computer 4a Display part 4b Main part 4c Hinge part 4d Display surface 4e Keyboard 5 Front window 6 Roof 8 Reflection mirror 10 External input / output terminal 11 Interface 12 Network cable 13 ECU
14 Various sensors 15 Communication line connection terminal 16 Communication terminal 17 Driver's eye 18 Virtual image 19 External light 19a A part of external light 20 Half mirror 21 Display device 22 Drawing

Claims (5)

A personal computer on-vehicle device that enables a personal computer to be used in a vehicle,
A portable personal computer is detachably installed inside the instrument panel of the vehicle,
A personal computer on-vehicle apparatus, characterized in that a display surface of the portable personal computer is provided facing downward so as to avoid reflection of external light and reflection on a front window, so that the portable personal computer can be viewed from inside the vehicle interior. The personal computer vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1,
Providing a reflection mirror in a state inclined with respect to the display surface of the portable personal computer;
A personal computer on-vehicle apparatus characterized in that the drawing on the display surface of the portable personal computer is reflected by a reflecting mirror so as to be visible from the passenger compartment. In the personal computer vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or 2,
A personal computer on-vehicle apparatus, wherein the portable personal computer is detachably provided on a bottom portion of a hood provided in a state of protruding from an instrument panel into a vehicle compartment. In the personal computer vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A personal computer on-vehicle apparatus, wherein the hood is a meter panel hood. In the personal computer vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The reflection mirror is a half mirror,
A personal computer on-vehicle device characterized in that a display device is provided on the inside of the instrument panel of the reflection mirror, and the drawing of the display device is reflected by the half mirror so as to be visible from inside the vehicle interior.

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