Patent ID: 8194030

Claim:
A vehicle display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel for displaying an image in a vehicle; a light source which illuminates the liquid crystal display panel; and a control means for controlling the liquid crystal display panel and the light source according to an adjust value for adjusting a luminance of a display image on the liquid crystal display panel, wherein the liquid crystal display panel has a first pixel for displaying a specific image at a specific time, and a second pixel for displaying a regular image at both the specific time and a regular time at which the specific image is not displayed by the first pixel, and wherein the control means controls a gradient ratio of the first pixel which is obtained by a ratio of a gradient level of the first pixel to a preset gradient level of the first pixel, and controls a gradient ratio of the second pixel which is obtained by a ratio of a gradient level of the second pixel to a preset gradient level of the second pixel, and wherein the control means selectively performs a first mode and a second mode, and wherein the control means varies a source luminance of the light source according to the adjust value brighter than a reference value while keeping the gradient ratio of both the first pixel and the second pixel at the maximum ratio in the first mode, and wherein the control means varies the gradient ratio of the second pixel according to the adjust value darker than the reference value while keeping the source luminance of the light source at the minimum source luminance and keeps the gradient ratio of the first pixel at the maximum ratio in the second mode.