DIGITAL COCKPIT DISPLAY

Abstract

A digital cockpit display (1) for a vehicle has a display device (2) with electronic display elements (3a-3n) arranged in the form of a matrix and by means of which information can be visualized. A control device (4) enables control of the display elements (3a-3n) to visualize the information. The display device (2) has micro-electromechanical actuators (5a-5n) that are connected to the display elements (3a-3n) and are selectively controllable by the control device (4) so that they initiate a linear movement of the display elements (3a-3n) between a retracted position in which a longitudinal extension of the microelectronic actuators (5a-5n) is minimal and a fully extended position in which the longitudinal extension of the microelectronic actuators (5a-5n) is maximal.

Claims

1. A digital cockpit display for a vehicle, comprising a display device with electronic display elements that are arranged in the form of a matrix and that enable information to be visualized information. A control device controls the display elements to visualize the information, the display device having micro-electromechanical actuators connected to the display elements and being selectively controllable by the control device to initiate a linear movement of the display elements between a retracted position in which a longitudinal extension of the microelectronic actuators is minimal and a fully extended position in which the longitudinal extension of the microelectronic actuators is maximal.

2. The digital cockpit display of claim 1, wherein at least one of the micro-electromechanical actuators is assigned to a plurality of the display elements.

3. The digital cockpit display of claim 1, wherein each of the micro-electromechanical actuators is assigned respectively to a single one of the display elements.

4. The digital cockpit display of claim 1, wherein the display device has a retaining surface to which the microelectronic actuators are fit.

5. The digital cockpit display of claim 4, wherein the retaining surface is formed by a rear side of the display device.

6. The digital cockpit display of claim 1, wherein the display elements are pixel elements.

7. The digital cockpit display of claim 6, wherein the display elements are multicolored TFT pixel elements.

8. The digital cockpit display of claim 1, wherein the micro-electromechanical actuators are controllable in such a way that at least some of the display elements are moved into an intermediate position between the retracted position in which the longitudinal extension of the microelectronic and actuators is minimal and the fully extended position in which the longitudinal extension of the microelectronic actuators is maximal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a part of a digital cockpit display 1 for a vehicle in a schematically highly simplified form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The digital cockpit display 1 comprises a display device 2 with electronic display elements 3a-3n by means of which information can be visualized for a driver of the vehicle. The electronic display elements 3a-3n are arranged in a two-dimensional, matrix-like structure, wherein only a single row with a total of n display elements 3a-3n has been shown for reasons of simplicity in FIG. 1. These display elements 3a-3n can be multicolored pixel elements, in particular three-colored TFT-RGB pixel elements.

[0018] The digital cockpit display 1 further has a control device 4 by means of which the display elements 3a-3n are controllable in such a way that they can display different information to a driver. This information can include, for example, the present vehicle speed, the rotational speed of a drive device of the motor vehicle, present operating and/or environment parameters, navigation information and multimedia information. This list is obviously not exhaustive and can be extended to include any other visually presentable information.

[0019] The display device 2 has a retaining surface 6 to which the display elements 3a-3n are fit using micro-electromechanical actuators 5a-5n. This retaining surface 6 can be a rear side of the display device 2. The micro-electromechanical actuators 5a-5n also are controlled by the control device 4 and are designed so that they initiate a linear movement of the display elements 3a-3n between a retracted position in which a longitudinal extension of the micro-electromechanical actuators 5a-5n is minimal and a fully extended position in which the longitudinal extension of the microelectronic actuators 5a-5n is maximal. One of the microelectronic actuators 5a-5n that can initiate the linear movement of the relevant display element 3a-3n is assigned in each case to each of the display elements 3a-3n. Thus, three-dimensional depth effects with a high local resolution can be created. However, embodiments are also possible in which a single micro-electromechanical actuator 5a-5n is assigned to a plurality of display elements 3a-3n so that said display elements can be moved simultaneously by means of the relevant micro-electromechanical actuator 5a-5n. The number of micro-electromechanical actuators 5a-5n can be reduced as a result.

[0020] As is evident from FIG. 1, the micro-electromechanical actuators 5a-5n selectively controllable by the control device 4 enable the creation of three-dimensional depth effects whereby some of the display elements 3a-3n are moved away from the retaining surface 6 of the display device 2, which to some extent forms a reference surface, and therefore toward the viewer, whereas other display elements 3a-3n remain in their starting position in which the associated micro-electromechanical actuators 5a-5n in a retracted position have their minimal longitudinal extension. In the representation shown in FIG. 1, the display elements denoted with the reference numbers 3a-3e, 3j, 3k and 3n are in the starting position in which the associated micro-electromechanical actuators 5a-5e, 5j, 5k and 5n are not activated. The display elements denoted with the reference numbers 3h, 31 and 3m are in a maximum possible raised position in relation to the retaining surface 6. The remaining display elements denoted with the reference numbers 3f, 3g and 3i are in each case in an intermediate position between the starting position and the maximum possible extended position. Gradual three-dimensional depth effects can advantageously be created due to the differently raised positions of the display elements 3a-3n. Embodiments in which the display elements 3a-3n can selectively assume only the starting positions and maximum raised positions are essentially also conceivable. The control of the associated microelectronic and actuators 5a-5n is then simpler, but does not enable the creation of gradual, three-dimensional depth effects.

[0021] By means of the technique described above, for example, three-dimensional, circular borders of conventional round instruments can be simulated on the display device 2 of the digital cockpit display 1.

[0022] The microelectronic actuators 5a-5 can, for example, also be controlled by the control device 4 in such a way that the positions of the display elements 3a-3n are changed over time so that three-dimensional animations can be generated.