Vehicle navigation apparatus providing simultaneous forward and rearward views

A visual information supplying apparatus, comprising:

• a) first providing means for providing first visual information;
• b) first displaying means for displaying the first visual information in a form of a first image;
• c) second providing means for providing second visual information including the visual information for one eye of a human and for the other eye of the human;
• d) second displaying means for displaying the second visual information in the form of a three-dimensional second image;
• e) producing means, coupled to said first and second displaying means, capable of producing respective said first image and said second image independently or superimposing one of said first image and said second image on the other for a viewer;
• f) switching signal generating means, coupled to said producing means, for generating and outputting a switching signal depending on which one of the first and second images is selected to be displayed on the producing means;
• g) image controlling means, coupled to said producing means and said switching signal generating means, for controlling the producing means so as to selectively produce either or both of the first and second image for the viewer on the basis of the switching signal,
• wherein said visual information supplying apparatus is mounted on a moving object and wherein said first displaying means includes a combining glass which provides forward scenery to the viewer in the moving object directly as the first image, the forward scenery being the first visual information and wherein said second displaying means includes:
• a pair of camera means, installed on the moving object so as to face toward either a side direction or a rearward direction of the moving object with a spatial distance between each other, the spatial distance being set to provide substantially the same distance as the interval distance between the eyeballs of the human, for outputting the second visual information;
• and monitor means, installed in the moving object so as to oppose the eyeballs of the viewer for receiving the second visual information from said pair of camera means and for displaying the second visual information received from said pair of camera means in the form of the three dimensional image,
• h) a vehicle reversing detecting means for determining whether the vehicle is running rearward or not and wherein said switching signal generating means outputs the switching signal in response to a signal from said vehicle reversing detecting means from said vehicle reversing detecting means, said signal indicating whether the vehicle is running rearward or not, wherein said viewer is a vehicle driver;
• i) a head position detecting means for detecting a movement position of the head of the vehicle driver and outputting a signal indicating the movement position of the vehicle driver;
• j) supporting means for pivotally supporting said pair of camera means so as to face said pair of camera means toward a desired photographing direction;
• and
• k) camera position controlling means for pivotally controlling the position of the pair of camera means via said supporting means in response to the signal indicating the movement position of the head of the driver so that the photographing direction of the pair of camera means is controlled in accordance with the head movement direction,
• wherein said producing means includes a mirror having a function to vary its transmissivity.