JP5640532B2 - On-vehicle device operating device and contact determination method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an on-vehicle device operation device and a contact determination method that determine contact with an input device that operates an on-vehicle device.

  In recent years, many in-vehicle devices such as audio devices and navigation devices are mounted on vehicles, and such in-vehicle devices are operated by a steering switch provided in a steering wheel. However, since these in-vehicle devices need to be operated during driving, the driver must judge the position and arrangement of the switch by touching the steering switch without being able to directly see the steering switch. For this reason, the driver may erroneously operate the switch when the position and arrangement of the switch cannot be accurately grasped.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, when the contact or approach of a finger to the steering switch is detected, the guidance display unit displaying the function of the steering switch in the same arrangement as the steering switch is highlighted, thereby the position of the finger with respect to the steering switch. A technique for enabling the driver to easily grasp the above is disclosed.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a rotary input device having a wheel that can be rotated, and a technique for preventing an erroneous operation of a driver by changing a reaction force pattern that is added when the wheel is rotated. It is disclosed.

JP 2007-290562 A JP 2003-167668 A

 However, in the operating device disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, it is necessary to detect not only the finger contact with the steering switch but also the approach, so the sensitivity of the contact detection unit must be improved. However, when the sensitivity of the contact detection unit is improved, for example, there is a problem that detection due to an erroneous contact unintended by the operator occurs with a steering operation during driving. In particular, when traveling in a section where the driving operation is frequently performed, there is a high possibility that detection due to erroneous contact occurs.

 In addition, the rotary input device disclosed in Patent Document 2 described above is effective in preventing erroneous operation of a rotary input device such as a wheel, but in a normal input device in which a switch is pressed to input. It was not possible to prevent false detection.

 Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described situation, and even when the vehicle is traveling in a section in which driving operations are frequently performed, the vehicle-mounted device that can suppress detection due to erroneous contact with the input device. An object is to provide a device operating device and a contact determination method.

  The in-vehicle device operating device according to the present invention is installed in a steering device of the own vehicle and inputs the operation to the in-vehicle device, and the own vehicle is driven based on the traveling state of the own vehicle and the surrounding situation of the own vehicle. A driving condition determination unit for determining whether or not the vehicle is operating in a section with high operation frequency, and a contact pressure when the operator contacts the input unit, and a contact determination threshold value based on the stored average value of the contact pressure The contact determination threshold value setting unit and the contact determination threshold value are changed based on the determination result by the driving condition determination unit, and the operator compares the contact pressure by the operator with the changed contact determination threshold value, and the operator inputs to the input unit. The problem mentioned above is solved by providing the contact determination part which determines whether it contacted.

  According to the on-vehicle device operation device and the contact determination method according to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high, and whether or not the input device is touched based on the determination result. Since the contact determination threshold value for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high, detection due to erroneous contact with the input device can be suppressed.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the whole structure of the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of the steering device of the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of the input part of the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen by the display part of the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the contact determination process by the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driving | running | working condition discrimination | determination process by the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the contact determination threshold value setting process by the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting method of the contact determination threshold value by the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the contact determination process by the operating device for vehicle equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
[Configuration of control device for in-vehicle equipment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the on-vehicle device operating device according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the on-vehicle equipment operating device 1 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the operator has touched the input unit with a steering device 2 such as a steering wheel that steers the host vehicle. The control part 3 which performs a contact determination process, and the display apparatus 4 which displays the operation result to the vehicle equipment by an operator are provided.

  Here, the whole structure of the operating device 1 for vehicle equipment which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a steering device 2 that is a steering wheel is installed in the passenger compartment of the host vehicle, and a display device 4 for displaying an operation result for an in-vehicle device is installed together with a tachometer, a speedometer, and the like. . Although not shown, the control unit 3 is installed together with in-vehicle devices such as audio and navigation devices.

  Next, the steering device 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the steering device 2 detects an input unit 21 configured by a switch for inputting an operation to the in-vehicle device and a contact pressure to the input unit 21. And a contact detecting unit 22 for performing the above operation.

  Here, the input unit 21 is installed in the steering device 2 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and has a configuration in which a plurality of switches are arranged adjacent to each other. However, a single switch may be used instead of a plurality of switches. Such an input unit 21 has a function of notifying the operator that the switch has been operated by a tactile sensation such as a click, and transmits an operation signal to the control unit 3 when the switch is operated. For example, contact switches, membrane switches, FT sensors, etc. can be used. Further, the signal output from the input unit 21 may be encoded by an encoder and transmitted to the control unit 3.

  The contact detection unit 22 is installed on the surface of the input unit 21, detects the pressure value Fp generated when the operator touches the SW key top, and transmits the pressure value Fp to the control unit 3.

  Next, the structure of the switch constituting the input unit 21 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the input unit 21 includes a SW board 41 on which the switch contact is mounted, a SW contact 42 installed on the SW board, a pressure sensor 43 installed on the surface of the SW contact 42, and a pressure sensor. SW key top 44 installed on 43, and a tactile guide portion 45 installed on the SW key top surface and indicating the operation position of the switch. When the operator touches and operates the tactile guide unit 45, the SW key top 44 tilts around the key top fulcrum 46, pressure is generated in the pressure sensor 43, and the pressure sensor 43 that detects the pressure controls the detection value. Output to part 3. Further, when a pressure higher than a preset operation force is generated, the SW contact 42 strokes and transmits a SW operation signal to the control unit 3.

  Next, the control unit 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 3 includes a host vehicle position detection unit 31 that detects the position of the host vehicle and the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and road information that stores information about the road. A storage unit 32, a road information detection unit 33 that detects road information based on the position of the host vehicle, a vehicle information detection unit 34 that detects vehicle information related to the traveling state of the host vehicle, and the host vehicle is frequently operated. An operation state determination unit 35 that determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling, a contact determination threshold setting unit 36 that stores a contact pressure to the input unit 21 and sets a contact determination threshold based on an average value of the contact pressure; The contact determination threshold value is changed based on the determination result by the driving condition determination unit 34, and the contact pressure determined by the operator is compared with the contact determination threshold value to determine whether or not the operator has touched the input unit 21. The determination unit 37 and And a display content creation unit 38 to create the display data to be presented to the operator.

  Further, the display device 4 includes a display unit 40 that displays information such as operation results to the operator.

  Here, the host vehicle position detection unit 31 detects the position G (latitude, longitude) of the host vehicle and the traveling direction Gv of the host vehicle using a GPS, an independent sensor, or the like. Even when the host vehicle is traveling, the host vehicle position G and the traveling direction Gv can be detected in real time.

  The road information storage unit 32 stores road shape information, which is a collection of vector data represented by points N (nodes, complementary points) and lines L (links), and information specific to each latitude and longitude. Road information composed of point information Pn is stored. The point N and the line L have road attribute data added thereto, the point N is added with latitude, longitude, and road curvature information R as attribute data, and the line L has road type (national road, city road) as attribute data. , Expressway, parking area, etc.), road width is added. The point information Pn is a structure composed of position information, information contents, and icons indicating the information contents, and latitude / longitude information of each point and point-specific information (road curvature, recommended speed, road surface μ, parking area, etc.) A point-specific information representative icon is added. However, the road information storage unit 32 does not necessarily have to be mounted on the vehicle. For example, the road information storage unit 32 may acquire information on a remote server using a communication device such as a mobile phone or a wireless LAN. Good.

  The road information detection unit 33 is based on the road shape information stored in the road information storage unit 32 and map matching based on the position information G of the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle position detection unit 31 and the traveling direction information Gv. Processing is performed, and road shape information within a certain distance (for example, 100 m) from the matched road link and point information Pn existing in the vicinity thereof are acquired as road information.

  The vehicle information detection unit 34 acquires information from various sensors and ECUs of the host vehicle via the in-vehicle LAN, and acquires vehicle information related to the traveling state of the host vehicle. The vehicle information includes at least information such as a steering angle, a steering speed, a deceleration, an acceleration, a direction indicator, an instruction value corresponding to the accelerator depression amount, a lateral G, a vehicle speed, and an inter-vehicle distance.

  Based on the road information detected by the road information detection unit 33 and the vehicle information detected by the vehicle information detection unit 34, the driving status determination unit 35 is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high. It is determined whether or not.

  The contact determination threshold value setting unit 36 stores the contact pressure information Fp detected by the contact detection unit 22 every predetermined time (for example, 100 msec), and sets the contact determination threshold value based on the stored average value of the contact pressure. .

  The contact determination unit 37 compares the contact pressure Fp detected by the contact detection unit 22 with the contact determination threshold Fpth set by the contact determination threshold setting unit 36, and determines whether or not the operator has touched the input unit 21. Is judged.

  When the contact determination unit 37 determines that the switch is touched, the display content creation unit 38 creates display data for displaying the operation result of the switch touched by the operator.

  The display unit 40 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel, for example, and displays information to the operator based on the display data generated by the control unit 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when it is determined that a finger touches the switch 51 of the input unit 21, the display unit 40 is in a position where the finger touches as shown in FIG. The display indicating “camera operation” is reversed and displayed.

[Contact judgment processing procedure]
Next, the procedure of the contact determination process by the vehicle-mounted device operating device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the contact detection unit 22 detects the contact pressure to the input unit 21 in step S101, the contact detection unit 22 outputs a contact signal.

  On the other hand, in step S102, the driving status determination unit 35 determines whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high based on the traveling state of the host vehicle and the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle. Perform status determination processing.

  Here, the procedure of the driving | running | working condition discrimination | determination process is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The driving situation determination unit 35 performs driving situation determination processing at regular intervals (for example, at intervals of 10 msec) to determine the driving situation.

  As shown in FIG. 7, first, in step S201, the position information G of the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle position detection unit 31 and the traveling direction Gv of the host vehicle are acquired. The position information G of the host vehicle is information including latitude and longitude, and the traveling direction Gv of the host vehicle is 0 degree when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is the north direction, and is information that increases the angle clockwise. is there.

  Next, in step S202, link information L of the position of the host vehicle is acquired from the road information storage unit 32 based on the position information G of the host vehicle acquired in step S201 and the traveling direction Gv of the host vehicle. In step S203, the vehicle information detected by the vehicle information detection unit 34 is acquired, and the speed of the host vehicle included in the vehicle information is acquired.

  Next, in step S204, the attribute of the link information L acquired in step S202 is read, and it is determined whether or not the link attribute of the position of the host vehicle is a parking lot. If it is a parking lot, the process proceeds to step S205. If it is not a parking area, the process proceeds to step S206.

  In step S205, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed acquired in step S203 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (for example, 20 km / h). If the vehicle speed is higher than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S206. Then, the process proceeds to step S207.

  Next, in step S206, the attribute of the link information L acquired in step S202 is read out, and it is determined whether or not the link attribute of the position of the host vehicle is a highway. If it is a highway, the process proceeds to step S208. If it is not a highway, the process proceeds to step S209.

  In step S208, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed acquired in step S203 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (for example, 40 km / h). If the vehicle speed is higher than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S209. Then, the process proceeds to step S207.

  And when it progresses to step S207 by the process mentioned above, it judges that it is drive | working the area where driving operation frequency is high, and when it progresses to step S209, it is drive | working the area where driving operation frequency is low. The contact determination unit 37 is notified of the determination result, and the driving state determination process in step S102 of FIG. 6 is terminated. In FIG. 7, parking areas and highways are shown as an example, but other situations may be set as long as the driving operation frequency can be determined.

  When the driving situation is thus determined, the process proceeds to step S103 in FIG. 6 and a contact determination threshold value setting process by the contact determination threshold value setting unit 36 is performed.

  Here, the procedure of the contact determination threshold value setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed at regular intervals, for example, at intervals of 10 msec, and the contact determination threshold value is set. Further, when the input unit 21 is composed of a plurality of switches, it is implemented for each switch.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in step S <b> 301, a predetermined value that is sufficiently lower than the contact pressure when the operator touches the input unit 21 is set in advance, and the pressure value detected by the contact detection unit 22. It is determined whether Fp is equal to or greater than a predetermined value set in advance. If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S302. If it is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the contact is not made by the operator, and the contact determination threshold value setting process is terminated.

  Next, in step S302, the current contact pressure value Fp_current is stored, and the process proceeds to step S303. In step S303, it is determined whether or not an input signal is generated by pressing the switch of the input unit 21. If the input signal is generated, the process proceeds to step S304. If the input signal is not generated, the contact determination threshold value setting process is terminated.

  Next, in step S304, it is determined whether or not the previous contact pressure was constant for a predetermined time set in advance.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the pressure values (Fp_current to Fp_current-5) in the section from the time point t0 when the contact pressure value is detected to the time point t5 when the input signal is detected are detected, and predetermined for each pressure value. A time T within a predetermined value range indicating a time within the range of the pressure range (for example, ± 10%) is calculated. For example, when the pressure value Fp_current-1 is set as the reference value, the range from Fp_current-1 to Fp_current-4 falls within a predetermined pressure range (± 10%), so the range of time t1 to t4 is within the predetermined value range. Time T1 is reached. Similarly, the time T2 to T5 within a predetermined value range is calculated using Fp_current-2 to Fp_current-5 as reference values, and the calculated T1 to T5 are compared to determine the longest time as the contact estimated time Tmax. Then, it is determined whether or not the estimated contact time Tmax is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. If the estimated contact time Tmax is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, it is determined that the contact pressure is constant, and the process proceeds to step S305. It is determined that the contact pressure is not constant, and the contact determination threshold value setting process is terminated.

  Next, in step S305, the average value of the section of the estimated contact time Tmax calculated in step S304 is set as the contact determination threshold value Fpth, and the contact determination threshold value setting process in step S103 in FIG.

  When the contact determination threshold is set in this way, the process proceeds to step S104 in FIG. 6 and a contact determination process by the contact determination unit 37 is performed.

  Here, the procedure of the contact determination process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed each time the contact pressure is detected by the contact detector 22.

  In step S401, the pressure value Fp detected by the contact detection unit 22 is acquired, and in step S402, the contact determination threshold value Fpth set in the contact determination threshold value setting process and the determination result of the driving situation determination process are acquired. In step S403, if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high, the contact determination threshold Fpth is increased by a predetermined ratio (for example, 20%), and the vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is low. If it is determined that the contact determination threshold value Fpth is not changed, it is used as it is. However, the contact determination threshold value Fpth may be decreased by a predetermined ratio (for example, 20%).

  Next, in step S404, the contact pressure Fp and the contact determination threshold value Fpth are compared to determine whether or not Fp> Fpth. If the contact pressure Fp is large, it is determined that contact has been made, and the process proceeds to step S405. If the contact pressure Fp is low, it is determined that no contact is made and the process proceeds to step S406.

  Next, in step S405, the contact pressure Fp_nd of the switch arranged adjacent to the switch of the input unit 21 currently performing contact determination is acquired, and the contact pressure Fp is compared with the contact pressure Fp_nd of the adjacent switch. It is then determined whether Fp> Fp_nd. If the contact pressure Fp is large, it is determined that the contact pressure of the switch currently performing contact determination is higher than that of the adjacent switch, and the process proceeds to step S407. If the contact pressure Fp is small, the switch is adjacent. It is determined that the contact switch has a higher contact pressure, and the process proceeds to step S406. At this time, if there are a plurality of adjacent switches, the process proceeds to step S407 when the contact pressure of the switch currently performing contact determination is the highest, and the process proceeds to step S406 otherwise.

  In step S407, it is determined that the operator is in contact with the input unit 21 and instructs the display to indicate the contact state. In step S406, the operator does not contact the input unit 21 in a non-contact state. 6 is instructed to display a non-contact state, and the contact determination process in step S104 of FIG. 6 is terminated.

  When the contact determination is thus performed, the process proceeds to step S105 in FIG. 6, and the display as shown in FIG. 5 is performed on the display unit 40 based on an instruction from the contact determination unit 37.

  When it is determined that the operator touches the input unit 21 in this manner, the contact determination process by the in-vehicle device operation device 1 according to the present embodiment ends.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
As described above in detail, according to the on-vehicle device operating device according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high, and this determination is performed. Since the contact determination threshold is changed based on the result, detection due to erroneous contact with the input unit can be suppressed even when the host vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high. As a result, erroneous display associated with detection of erroneous contact can be reduced, so that the driver can feel less troublesome. Furthermore, since the threshold value for determining contact is fixed in the past, even if the operator's finger touches the input unit, the threshold may not be reached and contact may not be detected. According to the apparatus, since the contact determination threshold can be changed, it is also possible to improve the accuracy of detecting contact with the input unit.

  In addition, according to the on-vehicle device operating device, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high, the contact determination threshold value is increased, so that driving operation such as steering operation is frequently performed. In the situation, it is possible to reduce the detection frequency due to erroneous contact without the intention to operate the switch.

  Further, according to the on-vehicle device operating device, when the input unit is a switch in which a plurality of switches are arranged adjacent to each other, the contact determination threshold is set for each of the plurality of switches. Contact detection can be performed in consideration of the difference in pressure tendency at the time of contact, and contact determination with high response and no erroneous operation can be realized.

  Further, according to the on-vehicle device operating device, when the input unit is a switch in which a plurality of switches are arranged adjacent to each other, the operator contacts the switch having the highest contact pressure among the contact pressures of the adjacent switches. Therefore, it is possible to perform contact determination that is closest to the operator's operation intention.

  Further, according to the on-vehicle device operating device, the predetermined value range time in which the contact pressure is within the predetermined range is obtained, and the average value of the contact pressure in the longest predetermined value range time among the predetermined value range time Is set as the contact determination threshold value, the contact determination threshold value can be set as an average value within a period during which the contact pressure is stable, thereby making it possible to perform contact determination with higher accuracy.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and even if it is a form other than this embodiment, as long as it does not depart from the technical idea according to the present invention, the design and the like Of course, various modifications are possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation apparatus for vehicle equipment 2 Steering device 3 Control part 4 Display apparatus 21 Input part 22 Contact detection part 31 Own vehicle position detection part 32 Road information storage part 33 Road information detection part 34 Vehicle information detection part 35 Driving condition discrimination part 36 Contact Determination threshold setting unit 37 Contact determination unit 38 Display content creation unit 40 Display unit

Claims (5)

An in-vehicle device operating device for operating an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle,
An input means that is installed in the steering device of the host vehicle and inputs an operation to the in-vehicle device;
Based on the traveling state of the host vehicle and the surroundings of the host vehicle, driving status determination means for determining whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high;
A contact determination threshold value setting means for storing a contact pressure when an operator touches the input means, and setting a contact determination threshold value based on the stored average value of the contact pressure;
When the operator touches the input means, the contact determination threshold is changed based on the determination result by the driving situation determination means, the contact pressure by the operator is compared with the changed contact determination threshold, Contact determining means for determining whether or not the operator has touched the input means ,
The contact determination threshold value setting means obtains a predetermined value range time in which the stored contact pressure is within a predetermined range, and an average value of the contact pressure in the longest predetermined value range time in the predetermined value range time Is set as the contact determination threshold value .   The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the contact determination unit increases the contact determination threshold when the driving state determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling in a section with a high driving operation frequency. Operating device.   The contact determination threshold value setting unit sets the contact determination threshold value for each of the plurality of switches when the input unit is a switch in which a plurality of switches are arranged adjacent to each other. The operating device for vehicle equipment according to 2.   When the input unit is a switch in which a plurality of switches are arranged adjacent to each other, the contact determination unit is a switch with the highest contact pressure among the contact pressures of the adjacent switches. The in-vehicle device operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operating device is determined to be present. A contact determination method for determining whether or not an operator has touched an input device for operating an in-vehicle device mounted on the host vehicle,
A contact pressure detecting step of detecting a contact pressure when the operator contacts the input device;
A driving situation determination step of determining whether or not the own vehicle is traveling in a section where the driving operation frequency is high, based on the traveling state of the own vehicle and the surrounding situation of the own vehicle;
A contact determination threshold value setting step for storing the contact pressure detected in the contact pressure detection step, and setting a contact determination threshold value based on the stored average value of the contact pressure;
When the operator touches the input device, the contact determination threshold is changed based on the determination result of the driving situation determination step, and the contact pressure by the operator is compared with the changed contact determination threshold. look including a contact determination step of determining whether the operator is in contact with the input device,
The contact determination threshold value setting step obtains a predetermined value range time in which the stored contact pressure is within a predetermined range, and an average value of the contact pressure in the longest predetermined value range time in the predetermined value range time Is set as the contact determination threshold value .

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