JPH0895708A - Screen touch type input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the detection precision of switch operation which is done over an oblique look at a display while maintaining the operability at the time of a look from the front by equipping the input device with a switch display means and a reaction area setting means. CONSTITUTION: A main ECU 30 sets the reaction area of a switch displayed on the display 10a according to the shape of the switch, and the ON/OFF state of the corresponding switch is determined by detecting a touch on a reaction point in the reaction area. Then a touch on a meaningless reaction point can be regarded as a touch on a reaction point nearby it. In case of a vehicle, a driver is ordinarily an operator and it is effective to enlarge the reaction area not to all circumferential directions, but only in a specific direction. For example, when intervals of display switches are relatively wide, the reaction area to be enlarged is widened corresponding to the intervals. Thus, the enlargement quantity of the reaction area is determined according to the intervals of the display switches to detect switch operation more effectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a screen touch input device which detects a touch on a switch displayed on a screen and inputs operation information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a large number of auxiliary devices such as a radio, an audio system and an air conditioner which are not directly related to the running of the vehicle are mounted on a vehicle, and the number of these auxiliary devices is increasing. Among such auxiliary devices, there is a navigation device, and the number of vehicles equipped with this device is increasing.

This navigation device displays the present location on a map and assists the user in traveling. In many cases, when the destination is input, the route to the destination is displayed to guide the route.

In such a navigation device, a display is required for displaying a map, and various operations are required for inputting a destination. The vehicle is spatially limited, and it is not possible to provide a dedicated switch for each required operation. Normally, the surface of the display is used as a touch switch panel and the display of the display is used as a switch. It should be noted that the operation switches for air conditioners and audio systems also use the display, and dedicated switches are often omitted.

There are various types of touch switch panels such as capacitance type and optical type. In the case of a normal touch switch panel, touch detection is slightly above the actual display surface of the display. become. For example, in the case of the capacitance type, the deformation of the film provided on the surface of the display is used, and in the case of the optical type, the blocking of the light rays traveling on the surface of the display is detected, The actual detection area is above the surface of the display. Therefore, there is a problem that the switch displayed on the display differs from the actual detection position.

Particularly in the case of the optical type, an acrylic plate for screen protection and an LCF (light control film) for controlling the light distribution from the screen are provided between the switch display on the screen and the detection light beam, and the thickness thereof is provided. The above problem is more prominent because the distance between the switch display and the reaction point is increased by the amount.

The display provided in the vehicle cannot be arranged in front of the driver's seat, but is located between the passenger seat and the passenger's seat. Then, the driver's line-of-sight must be oblique to the display. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, there is a problem that the driver's touch cannot be correctly detected due to a difference between the switch display on the display and the touch reaction point (displayed with diagonal lines) immediately above.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-121641, the display position of the switch (entire screen display) is shifted according to the position of the operator, and the display switch and the reaction area caused by the shift of the operator's line-of-sight direction. It has been shown to eliminate the gap. Particularly, in the device of this publication, seating detection switches are provided in the driver's seat and the passenger's seat, and the display position of the switch is moved by specifying from the detected state of the seating switch.
That is, when only the driver is present, the display is shifted to the left, and when both are present, the display is centered as it is.

[0009]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional example, since the display itself is simply shifted, a sufficient improvement cannot be made. For example, when the driver brings his / her face to the front of the display and operates it, there is a problem that a sufficient reaction cannot be obtained due to the displacement of the display.

In particular, the touch detection of the touch switch panel is carried out at a large number of reaction points scattered, but the reaction points cannot be arranged so densely, the display switch is relatively small, and a plurality of switches are provided. When displaying, the number of reaction points corresponding to the switch may be considerably reduced. That is, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the reaction point and the display shape of the switch match, the influence of the line-of-sight direction is relatively small. However,
As shown in FIG. 1 (B), the display of the switch and the reaction point may shift. In this example, the switches a and b have the same size, but there are two reaction points corresponding to the switch a and four reaction points corresponding to the switch b. In such a case, when the line of sight of the switch a was oblique, the operator's fingertip was likely to operate a reaction point not corresponding to the switch a, and a sufficient reaction could not be obtained.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a screen touch input device capable of sufficiently improving operability.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a device for inputting information by detecting a touch on a large number of reaction points located above a screen, and a switch display means for displaying a switch on the screen. And a reaction area setting means for setting a reaction area of a reaction point which is determined to be a touch on the displayed switch, wherein the reaction area setting means includes a switch display area and is enlarged in a line-of-sight direction of an operator. It is characterized by setting the reaction area.

The reaction area setting means may change the size of the reaction area on the adjacent switch side that expands in the line-of-sight direction based on the distance from the adjacent switch displayed adjacently in the line-of-sight direction of the operator. Characterize.

Further, the present invention is a device which is mounted on a vehicle, detects touches on a large number of reaction points located above the screen, and inputs information, and which is a constant operation switch which can be always operated on the screen. The switch display means for simultaneously displaying the operation switch when the vehicle is stopped, which is prohibited from operation during traveling, and the switch display area, including the display area of the switch, to the switch where the reaction point of the area enlarged in the operator's line of sight is displayed. When the vehicle is stopped in the line-of-sight direction of the operator, the reaction area setting means for setting the reaction area of the reaction point determined to be the touch of the vehicle and the traveling detection means for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle are provided. When the operation switch is displayed, the reaction area setting means sets the enlargement amount of the reaction area corresponding to the constant operation switch during traveling to be larger than when the vehicle is stopped. To.

Further, the present invention is a device which is mounted on a vehicle and which detects a touch on a large number of reaction points located above the screen to input information, and which is a constantly operable switch which can be always operated on the screen. And a switch display means for simultaneously displaying the operation switch when the vehicle is stopped, which operation is prohibited during traveling, a reaction area setting means for setting a reaction area of a reaction point which is determined to be a touch on the displayed switch, and a vehicle traveling When the vehicle stop operation switch is displayed adjacent to the constant operation switch, the reaction area corresponding to the constant operation switch during traveling is set to the vehicle stop operation switch side. It is characterized by expanding to.

[0016]

As described above, according to the screen touch input device of the present invention, the reaction area corresponding to the display switch is enlarged in consideration of the direction of the operator's line of sight. Therefore, while maintaining the operability when viewed from the front, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the switch operation when the display is operated obliquely.

Further, by determining the amount of enlargement in consideration of the distance from the display of the adjacent switch, it is possible to achieve sufficient enlargement of the reaction region in the line-of-sight direction within the range where no malfunction occurs.

In addition, there are some switches that cannot be operated while traveling on the screen display of the vehicle. Therefore, when adjacent to such a switch, the recognition rate of the switch operation can be improved by taking this into consideration and enlarging the reaction region to a larger extent.

Further, even when the line-of-sight direction is not taken into consideration, the reaction area is expanded when a switch that cannot be operated during traveling is adjacent. Also in this case, the recognition rate of the switch operation can be improved.

Further, when the vehicle stop operation switch is located closer to the line-of-sight direction than the constant operation switch, the reaction area is consequently expanded in the line-of-sight direction.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the embodiment. The display / touch panel 10 is LC
It is composed of a D display 10a and an optical touch panel 10b provided on the surface. This display 10a is displayed on the display EC via a driver 20.
It is connected to U22. The display ECU 22
A predetermined voltage is applied to the display 10a via the driver 20.
Then, the liquid crystal is applied to the liquid crystal at a desired portion of the display to display. A touch panel 10b is also connected to the display ECU 22 to detect a touch on reaction points arranged in a matrix in the display ECU 22.

The display ECU 22 has a main EC
U30 is connected, and the display ECU 22 displays the display 1 in response to a signal from the main ECU 30.
The display content of 0a is determined. In this example, the main ECU
30 is the RG for the display on the display 10a
The B signal is sent, and the display ECU 22 controls the voltage output of the driver 20 in response to this to display a desired color. On the other hand, the on / off information (touch information) of each reaction point on the touch panel 10b remains unchanged from the main ECU 3
0, the main ECU 30 displays the display 10
On / off of the display switch is detected from the display of a and the on / off information of the reaction point.

Further, the main ECU 30 receives a radio wave from a satellite to detect the absolute position of the vehicle, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device 32, a CD device 34 for reproducing an optical disc storing map information, A vehicle speed sensor 36 that detects the traveling speed of the vehicle, a geomagnetic sensor 38 that detects the direction of the vehicle, a parking switch 40 that detects the stopped state of the vehicle, etc. are connected.

As a result, the main ECU 30 is
Absolute position and vehicle speed sensor 36 detected by S device 32
The present position is obtained based on the movement amount and the like obtained from the geomagnetic sensor 38, the display content of the display 10a is determined from the map and the like obtained from the CD device 34, and a signal regarding the display is sent to the display ECU 20. Further, when displaying the operation switch, the relationship between the display switch and the reaction point of the touch panel 10b is determined. A TV tuner is connected to the display ECU 22, so that the display 10a can display a TV, and the display / touch panel 10 can be used to operate an air conditioner.

Here, the touch panel 10b of the present embodiment.
Is an optical type, and as shown in FIG.
0a has a light emitting element row and a light receiving element row that are arranged to face each other. That is, a plurality of infrared LEDs (light emitting diodes) 12 are arranged on the right and lower sides in the figure, and a plurality of phototransistors 14 are arranged on the left and upper sides in the figure. Therefore, if the infrared rays emitted from the light emitting diode 12 are received by the phototransistor 14 that faces them, and if the fingertip touches the display 10a, the light beam is blocked by the fingertip, and the light is blocked by the fingertip. Dimensional coordinates are specified.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting diode 12 and the phototransistor 14 form a matrix of a corresponding number of reaction points. In the example of FIG. 3, reaction points of 13 × 13 = 169 are formed.

Then, the main ECU 30 sets the reaction area of this switch corresponding to the shape of the switch displayed on the display 10a, and turns on or off the corresponding switch by detecting the touch of the reaction point of this reaction area. decide.

Regarding detection of ON / OFF of this switch,
This will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. In this example, first, the position immediately above the display of the switch is directly set as the reaction area, and the reaction area is expanded in the determination.

First, when the touch panel 10b is touched in the switch display state (S11), the touched reaction point number (1 to 169) is displayed in the display ECU.
It is detected by 20, and this is taken into the main ECU 30 (S12).

Next, the main ECU 30 determines whether or not there is a meaningless reaction point (S13). If there is no meaningless reaction point, it is determined that the switch corresponding to the meaning reaction point is operated (S14).
In addition, as mentioned above, there is always a meaningless reaction point of one line between two adjacent switches,
The reaction points corresponding to the two switches are usually not touched without the meaningless reaction points. If such a state occurs by operating with two fingers, this may be an abnormal switch operation, and it may be assumed that the switch operation was not performed.

On the other hand, if there is a meaningless reaction point, it is determined whether there is a reaction point in the reaction area corresponding to the switch (S15). If there is no reaction point, it is determined that the switch in the reaction area located at the reaction point (left side) having a smaller number than the meaningless touched reaction point is touched (S16). Here, the left side is selected because it is estimated that the operator is the driver and is in the right seat, and if it is known that the left seat is prioritized, the reaction point of one more number is added. Confirm the (right) switch.
Also, at the reaction point at the left end, the number one smaller is the right end, so this processing is not performed and is invalid. In normal operation, there is often one switch located on the left side of the meaningless reaction point, but when there are two or more switches, it may be determined by the number of reaction points corresponding to each switch.

If there is a reaction point with the corresponding switch, the number of reaction points is compared with the number of meaningless reaction points (S17). Then, if there are more reaction points corresponding to the switch, it is determined that the switch corresponding to the reaction point has been operated (S18).

In S17, when the number of meaningless reaction points is larger, the relationship between meaningless reaction points and the reaction area corresponding to the switch is determined (S19). That is, if the meaningless reaction point is located below the reaction area corresponding to the switch, it is assumed that the switch one above the meaningless reaction point has been operated (S20), and the meaningless reaction point. Is located above the reaction area corresponding to the switch, it is assumed that the switch immediately below the meaningless reaction point is operated (S21), and the meaningless reaction point corresponds to the switch. Located to the right of
It is assumed that the switch to the left of the meaningless reaction point is operated (S22), and if the meaningless reaction point is located to the left of the reaction area corresponding to the switch, the meaningless reaction point It is assumed that the right switch is operated (S23). The determination of the positional relationship in S19 may be obtained from a map or a mathematical process.

In this way, a touch of a reaction point having no meaning can be regarded as a touch of a reaction point adjacent thereto. Further, in the above flow chart, the area directly above the switch display is initially set as the reaction area as it is, and the reaction area is changed only when the touch of a reaction point having no predetermined meaning is detected. However, the main ECU 30 knows the position of the display switch, and may enlarge and set the reaction area in advance. Then, in the judgment after setting the enlarged reaction region, when it is detected that a meaningless reaction point is touched, the reaction region may be further enlarged by the procedure of FIG. 4 described above.

In the case of a vehicle, the normal driver is the operator. Therefore, the driver should be regarded as the operator unless there is a special instruction. In this case, it is also effective to expand the reaction region only in a specific direction without expanding the reaction region to the entire periphery as in the above-mentioned flowchart. In this case, the reaction area may be assigned corresponding to the displayed switch, for example, as shown in FIGS.

When the line of sight comes from the lower right side with respect to the design of the switch displayed on the display 10a, as shown in FIG. After setting, the touch of the reaction point in this reaction area is determined as the operation of the switch. By expanding the reaction area in this manner, the difference between the reaction point and the display of the switch design when viewed from the operator's direction can be eliminated, and effective switch operation can be detected. Further, since the reaction area is simply enlarged, the detection can be correctly performed even when the operator brings the face to the front of the screen and operates it.

Further, when the distance between the display switches is relatively wide as shown in FIG. 6, the reaction area which expands in accordance with this distance is widened. This is because the possibility of erroneous detection due to the expansion of the reaction area is low. By thus determining the expansion amount of the reaction area according to the interval between the display switches, it is possible to detect the switch operation more effectively.

Furthermore, on the navigation screen, etc., switches that cannot be operated during driving are also displayed. That is,
Setting the destination, etc., can be done by the type of destination (eg department store,
The destination can be set by inputting the address, telephone number, etc.). However, such an operation is relatively complicated and requires a user to gaze at the display. Therefore, the display of such a switch is dimmed and the switch cannot be operated while the vehicle is traveling. For example, if this switch is operated, "Please do not operate while running. Please stop and use."
Is displayed and the operation is disabled. Therefore, it is unlikely that a switch that cannot be operated is operated on such a screen.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the reaction area is further expanded to the reaction area adjacent to the switch which cannot be operated during traveling and is adjacent to the switch. Thereby, a more effective detection of the switch operation can be achieved.

That is, when adjacent switches can be operated, it is necessary to set a reaction point of at least one line between both switches to a meaningless one that does not belong to both switches to prevent erroneous determination. If the adjacent switches cannot be operated, the recognition rate of the operation of the switches can be increased by allocating the reaction points between the switches to the reaction areas of the operable switches.

The operation during traveling will be described with reference to FIG. For example, when the destination setting is selected during traveling and the destination screen is displayed, the unusable switch is tone down (S31). That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a telephone number switch for setting a destination from a telephone number, an address switch for setting a destination from an address,
Switch about the facility name to set the destination from the facility name, memory point switch to set the destination from the memory points stored in advance, the previous departure point switch is toned down, only the home switch is not toned down To enable operation (in the figure, only the home switch is shown with diagonal lines). This is because the home switch can be operated easily because the destination can be set only by touching the home switch, and there is no problem even if the home switch is operated during traveling. Then, the range of reaction points corresponding to the usable switches is expanded (S32).

Here, the detection during traveling may be detected by the fact that the vehicle speed is 0. In the case of an automatic vehicle, the parking switch 40 detects that the shift lever is in the parking position. Alternatively, the stop of the vehicle may be detected by detecting that the side brake is on. The process of FIG. 8 is a routine called by an interrupt when it is detected that the vehicle is running.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the display itself is assumed to be fixed. However, depending on the type of display, there are also those whose angle can be adjusted. That is, some screens can be turned to the passenger seat or the passenger seat. With such a display, whether the operator is a driver or an assistant can be detected from the installation angle of the display. Therefore, a display position detection device (usually rotation is performed around the central axis, so this rotation may be detected) is provided, and the operator is specified based on the detection result to expand the reaction area. The direction can also be determined.

The method of estimating the line of sight of the operator is not limited to the angle adjustment of the display as described above, and the same effect can be obtained by other methods. For example, a method of displaying a "passenger seat operation" key and determining that the operator's line of sight is in the front passenger seat direction when touched is conceivable.

[0045]

As described above, according to the screen touch type input device of the present invention, the reaction area corresponding to the display switch is enlarged in consideration of the line-of-sight direction of the operator. Therefore, while maintaining the operability when viewed from the front, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the switch operation when the display is operated obliquely.

Further, by determining the enlargement amount in consideration of the distance from the display of the adjacent switch, it is possible to achieve sufficient enlargement of the reaction region in the line-of-sight direction within the range where no malfunction occurs.

In the screen display of the vehicle, some switches cannot be operated while traveling. Therefore, when adjacent to such a switch, the recognition rate of the switch operation can be improved by taking this into consideration and enlarging the reaction region to a larger extent.

The expansion of the reaction area in the case where the switches that cannot be operated during traveling are adjacent to each other is effective even when the line-of-sight direction is not taken into consideration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a touch panel.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of reaction points on a touch panel.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an enlarged example of a normal reaction region.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of enlargement of a reaction region in consideration of a switch interval.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of expanding a reaction area when use of an adjacent switch is prohibited.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process when there is a use-prohibited switch.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when there is a use-prohibited switch.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship between a line-of-sight direction and a reaction point.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a relationship between a switch display and a reaction point.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 display / touch panel 10a display 10b touch panel 20 driver 22 display ECU 30 main ECU 32 GPS device 34 CD device 36 vehicle speed sensor 38 geomagnetic sensor 40 parking switch

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A device for inputting information by detecting a touch on a large number of reaction points located above a screen, and a switch display means for displaying a switch on the screen, and a touch on the displayed switch. A reaction area setting means for setting a reaction area of a reaction point to be determined to be, and the reaction area setting means sets a reaction area including a switch display area and enlarged in the operator's line-of-sight direction. Characteristic screen touch input device. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reaction area setting means expands the reaction in the line-of-sight direction on the adjacent switch side based on the distance from the adjacent switch displayed adjacently in the line-of-sight direction of the operator. Screen touch input device to change the size of the area. 3. A device which is mounted on a vehicle, detects touches on a large number of reaction points located above the screen, and inputs information, and a constant operation switch which can be always operated on the screen and a running switch. Is a touch on the displayed switch, including a switch display means for simultaneously displaying the operation switch when the vehicle is stopped and a switch display area, and a reaction point in an area enlarged in the operator's line-of-sight direction. It is equipped with a reaction area setting means for setting the reaction area of the reaction point to be operated, and a travel detection means for detecting the running state of the vehicle, and the operation switch when the vehicle is stationary is displayed adjacent to the operation switch in the operator's line of sight. In this case, the reaction area setting means sets the enlargement amount of the reaction area corresponding to the constant operation switch when traveling to be larger than that when the vehicle is stopped. 4. A device which is mounted on a vehicle, detects touches on a large number of reaction points located above the screen, and inputs information, including a constant operation switch which can be always operated on the screen, and a running switch. Is a switch display means for simultaneously displaying the operation switch when the vehicle is stopped, the reaction area setting means for setting the reaction area of the reaction point which is determined to be a touch on the displayed switch, and the running state of the vehicle. When the vehicle stop operation switch is displayed adjacent to the constant operation switch, the screen for expanding the reaction area corresponding to the constant operation switch to the side of the stationary operation switch when traveling is provided. Touch input device.