Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specified indicator structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-13
2004-04-20
Trieu, Van (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specified indicator structure
C340S461000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06724317
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a visual-sound-reproducing system, which is mountable within a room (hereafter, referred as a cabin) of a mobile unit such as automobile and so on, for example.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, a display for operating a car-navigation soft or for looking behind for traffic when the automobile is rolling rearward is often mounted in the automobile. The display is generally placed on a dashboard to facilitate that a driver looks a picture reproduced on a monitor screen. The display is connected to a DVD (digital versatile disc) driving device operating the car-navigation soft, for example, and is placed near the driver's seat.
Incidentally, when a person sitting in a rear seat watches the picture such as cinema and so on using the display placed on the dashboard, a front seat or a silhouette of a passenger sitting in the front seat obstruct a part of the picture. In this way, the person sitting in the rear seat must eventually watch the picture through a clearance defined between front seats without keeping calm.
It is a known example that a display is placed in a cabin of the automobile to allow appreciation of the picture from the rear seat.
FIG. 1
is a front view of a conventional example of a display for appreciation from a rear seat. In the drawing, a reference numeral
1
denotes a front seat, and a reference numeral
2
denotes a headrest. A pair of legs
3
of the headrest
2
are inserted into a pair of holes (not shown) formed at a top of the front seat
1
, and the headrest
2
is mounted at the front seat
1
to allow reciprocal movement of the headrest
2
in vertical directions. A display panel
4
is mounted on a shoulder section of the front seat
1
close to a center of the cabin, and is fixed to the legs
3
of the headrest
2
using an arm
5
.
The display
4
is mounted in a sedan-type automobile for example to provide very high-visibility to a passenger sitting in the rear seat. However, since the display
4
is placed at the shoulder section of the front seat
1
, the positioning is low. When the display
4
is mounted in one box type automobile having three rows of seats including front, middle and rear seats for example, the middle seat obstructs the picture reproduced on the display
4
. In this way, a person sitting in the rear seat as a third seat must eventually watch the picture through a clearance defined between middle seats, and there is a problem that it is impossible to watch it with keeping calm.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of the other conventional example of a display for appreciation from a rear seat. In the drawing, a reference numeral
10
denotes a floor console, and a reference numeral
11
denotes a retractable lid allowing being lifted perpendicularly mounted on a rear section of the floor console
10
. A display
12
is disposed at a rear face of the lid
11
, and an operating section
13
operating the display
12
is arranged at the rear section of the floor console
10
which is covered with the lid
11
.
However, since the display
12
is disposed at the floor console
10
, the positioning is too low. When the display
12
is mounted in one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example, the middle seat obstructs the picture reproduced on the display
12
. In this way, a person sitting in the rear seat as a third seat must eventually watch the picture through a clearance defined between middle seats, and there is a problem that it is impossible to watch comfortably it.
The invention was made to solve the foregoing problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a visual-sound-reproducing system allowing a comfortable appreciation of cinema in the rear seat of the one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A visual-sound-reproducing system according to the invention comprises a display panel reproducing a picture on a monitor screen; a moving mechanism moving the display panel toward a home-position that the monitor screen of the display panel is nearly parallel to a ceiling of a cabin of an automobile and a play-position that the monitor screen of the display panel faces rearward; and a visual-sound device providing information regarding visual and sound. In this way, since the display panel at the play-position can be kept in a high position within the cabin, it is possible to ensure visibility of adequate level with respect to a picture reproduced on the display panel. Therefore, when a passenger sitting in the rear seat watches the picture reproduced on the display panel, the picture is not obstructed due to a front seat or a silhouette of a passenger sitting in the front seat. As a result, it is not necessary to watch the picture through a clearance defined between the front seats, and it is possible to watch comfortably it with keeping calm. When the display panel becomes unnecessary, the display panel is returned by the moving mechanism to the home-position. As a result, it is possible to ensure a rear visibility of the driver to offer a superior level of safety. It is possible to ensure a passage space, through which the passenger walks, in the one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism may include a rotational means rotating the display panel at an angle defined between the play-position and the home-position, the display panel being supported rotationally on a support axis mounted on the ceiling of the cabin and extending in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the automobile. In this way, it is possible to open and close adjustably the display panel due to the rotational means. As a result, a passenger sitting in the rear seat can watch the picture reproduced on the display panel.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism may include a guide member mounted on the ceiling of the cabin and extending the longitudinal direction of the automobile; and a rectilinear moving means moving reciprocally the display panel along the guide member. In this way, since the display panel can be moved reciprocally in the longitudinal direction of the automobile, it is possible to select as appropriate a position best suited to watching the picture reproduced on the display panel due to the rectilinear moving means. When the system is mounted in the one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example, it is possible to provide a picture to passengers sitting in middle and rear seats or to provide exclusively it to only passengers sitting in the rear seat. Thus, with the system, since various features can be selected, it is possible to improve the usability of the system.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism may include a rotation-locking mechanism locking the display panel into the home-position, the display panel being supported rotationally on a support axis mounted on the ceiling of the cab in and extending in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the automobile. In this way, since the display panel can be fixed to the home-position due to a hand-operated rotation-locking mechanism, it is possible to provide a display unit at low prices. When the rotation-locking mechanism is released, the display panel is rotationally hanged from the ceiling of the cabin. As a result, the display panel can be easily changed to the play-position.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism includes a guide member mounted on the ceiling of the cabin and extending a longitudinal direction of the automobile; a support plate being reciprocally supported on the guide member and supporting the display panel; and a reciprocal movement-locking mechanism controlling over a reciprocal movement of the support plate with respect to the guide member, and the reciprocal movement-locking mechanism may have an engagement projection arranged at any one of the support plate and the guide member; at least two engagement depressions arranged at the other in the longitudinal direction of the automobile; and a biasing member biasing t
Hibino Masahiro
Kitano Toyoaki
Saga Ikuo
LandOfFree
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