US Patent 7774136 Vehicle display apparatus

When an accessory switch of a vehicle is turned on, a TFT display device in an instrument panel is in a magnified display mode, where a navigation image is displayed in a magnified area of a navigation display area with no meter images displayed. A driver is therefore allowed to attentively view the navigation image in order to perform a route set or to change scales of a displayed map. When the driver further turns on an ignition switch, the magnified display mode is switched to a normal display mode. In the normal display mode, a meter display area and a vehicle state display area coexist with the navigation display area in the TFT display device; a navigation image is displayed in a normal area of the navigation display area with a meter image, e.g., a speed meter image, and a warning indicator image displayed simultaneously.