Sneak Peek of the New Prius - #3

obviously a camera/sensor of some sort and if it's not on the current gen it's not a back-up cam.

I wonder about a front camera for one of those fancy cruise controls that adjusts to forward traffic.

 

What's a HUD projector look like?

 

Ok, I'm pretty convinced it's an HUD projector...but danged if I can find a photo of one of these anywhere.

Closest I've found are:

 

Now I've got something...
Recent (10/16/08) Patent submitted by Denso Corp.(That sound familiar?) for a "Vehicle Display Apparatus" ?? To be known as the VDA?
VEHICLE DISPLAY APPARATUS - Patent Application 20080252579

(edit: Ok, found a copy of the application w/ the images...now I'm not so sure that this is the right patent: http://www.patents.com/VEHICLE-DISPLAY-APPARATUS/US20080252579/en-US/Previewer/ )

Trying to find the photos, but the link above won't let me access the PDF.

Product description:
What is claimed is:

1. A display apparatus for use in a vehicle comprising: a liquid crystal panel capable of displaying an image in a vehicle, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a meter display pixel that displays a meter image to represent a vehicle condition value and a warning display pixel that displays a warning image to warn the of the vehicle; an illumination unit capable of lighting the liquid crystal panel by emitting light; an input unit capable of accepting an input from an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the input unit receives the input of an adjustment value for controlling brightness of the image including the meter image and the warning image; and a control unit capable of controlling the liquid crystal panel and the illumination unit, wherein the control unit changes both of a meter display gradation ratio and a warning display gradation ratio according to the adjustment value so that the warning display gradation value is greater than the meter display gradation value when the meter display gradation ratio is defined as a ratio of the gradation value of the meter display pixel to a predetermined gradation value and the warning display gradation ratio is defined as a ratio of the gradation value of the warning display pixel to a predetermined gradation value.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a correlation information storage capable of storing correlation information that represents correlation between the adjustment value and both of the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio and a gradation ratio control unit capable of controlling the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio according to the correlation information stored in the correlation information storage.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the correlation information represents a decreasing correlation trend between the adjustment value and both of the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio, the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio start decreasing from a same ratio, and the warning display gradation ratio is greater than the meter display gradation ratio in the decreasing correlation trend.

4. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the decreasing correlation trend is a linear decrease from the same ratio for both of the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio, and a ratio of the linear decrease is smaller in the warning display gradation ratio than in the meter display gradation ratio.

5. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the correlation information represents a decreasing correlation trend between the adjustment value and both of the both of the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio, the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio start decreasing from respective standard ratios, and the standard ratio of the warning display gradation ratio is greater than the standard ratio of the meter display gradation ratio.

6. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the decreasing correlation trend is a linear decrease from the respective standard ratio for the meter display gradation ratio and the warning display gradation ratio, and a ratio of the linear decrease is smaller in the warning display gradation ratio than in the meter display gradation ratio.

7. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input unit receives whether to display the warning image or not as the input, the control unit includes a capture unit capable of capturing and acquiring an outside image that images an outside field of the vehicle and a gradation ratio control unit capable of controlling the warning display gradation ratio when the warning image is displayed according to the input from the input unit after being captured by the capture unit as the outside image.

8. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an abnormality detection unit capable of detecting abnormality of the vehicle, an image storage capable of storing a caution image that provides caution of the abnormality, and a gradation ratio control unit capable of controlling the warning display gradation ratio when the abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit and the caution image stored in the image storage serves as the warning image.

9. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination unit has a light source capable of lighting a whole body of the liquid crystal panel, and the control unit maintains lighting brightness of the light source at constant brightness irrespective of change of the adjustment value.

10. A display apparatus for use in a vehicle comprising: a liquid crystal panel capable of displaying an image in a vehicle, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a meter display pixel that displays a meter image to represent a vehicle condition value and a warning display pixel that displays a warning image to warn the of the vehicle; an illumination unit capable of lighting the liquid crystal panel by emitting light, wherein the illumination unit includes a meter light that emits light for lighting the meter image and a warning light that emits light for lighting the warning image; an input unit capable of accepting an input from an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the input unit receives the input of an adjustment value for controlling brightness of the image including the meter image and the warning image; and a control unit capable of controlling the liquid crystal panel and the illumination unit, wherein the control unit changes both of a meter light brightness and a warning light brightness according to the adjustment value so that the warning light brightness is greater than the meter light brightness when the meter light brightness is defined as brightness of the light from the meter light and the warning light brightness is defined as brightness of the light from the warning light.

11. The display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit includes a correlation information storage capable of storing correlation information that represents correlation between the adjustment value and both of the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness and a lighting brightness control unit capable of controlling the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness according to the correlation information stored in the correlation information storage.

12. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the correlation information represents a decreasing correlation trend between the adjustment value and both of the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness, the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness start decreasing from same brightness, and the warning light brightness is greater than the meter light brightness in the decreasing correlation trend.

13. The display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the decreasing correlation trend is a linear decrease from the same brightness for both of the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness, and a ratio of the linear decrease is smaller in the warning light brightness than in the meter light brightness.

14. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the correlation information represents a decreasing correlation trend between the adjustment value and both of the both of the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness, the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness start decreasing from respective standard brightness, and the standard brightness of the warning light brightness is greater than the standard brightness of the meter light brightness.

15. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the decreasing correlation trend is a linear decrease from the respective standard brightness for the meter light brightness and the warning light brightness, and a ratio of the linear decrease is smaller in the warning light brightness than in the meter light brightness.

16. The display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the input unit receives whether to display the warning image or not as the input, the control unit includes a capture unit capable of capturing and acquiring an outside image that images an outside field of the vehicle and a lighting brightness control unit capable of controlling the warning light brightness when the warning image is displayed according to the input from the input unit after being captured by the capture unit as the outside image.

17. The display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit includes an abnormality detection unit capable of detecting abnormality of the vehicle, an image storage capable of storing a caution image that provides caution of the abnormality, and a lighting brightness control unit capable of controlling the warning light brightness when the abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit and the caution image stored in the image storage serves as the warning image.

18. The display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit maintains both of a meter display gradation ratio and a warning display gradation ratio respective at same ratios irrespective of change of the adjustment value when the meter display gradation ratio is defined as a ratio of the gradation value of the meter display pixel to a predetermined gradation value and the warning display gradation ratio is defined as a ratio of the gradation value of the warning display pixel to a predetermined gradation value.

19. The display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit maintains the gradation value of the meter display pixel and the gradation value of the warning display pixel respectively at constant value irrespective of change of the adjustment value.