JPH09109802A - Operating device for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability of blind touch by providing a displaying means for displaying a menu image-plane on which plural menu sections for operating on-vehicle apparatuses are arranged, displaying a cursor on the displaying means by output from a sensor means and controlling the apparatuses by input from an input operating means. SOLUTION: When a driver searches for a desired menu section by sliding the finger on windows 32a to 32f in order to scan touch sensors 25a to 25f on a surface sheet 32 through the windows 32a to 32f, the lighting as a displaying means functioning as a cursor 33 for the menu sections 23a to 23f is moved in sequence. When the finger of the driver contacts the touch sensors 25a to 25f to move the lighting position of the corresponding menu sections 23a to 23f, and the driver visibly confirms that there is a cursor 33 for the desired touch sensors 25a to 25f, tact switches 26a to 26f at the lower part of the touch switches are depressed. The outputs of the tact switches 26a to 26f are inputted to a control means to operate on-vehicle apparatuses.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle operating device for operating various equipment mounted on a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Along with the trend toward higher-grade automobiles, various devices such as radios, air conditioners, navigation devices, and automobile telephones are mounted on vehicles. Such activation selection and operation control of various devices are executed by operating the operation switches provided in the various devices. From the viewpoint of operability and space efficiency, this operation switch is often arranged on a floor console extending downward and rearward from the center of the instrument panel. The operation of these operation switches is normally performed while visually observing them in order to avoid erroneous operation.However, it is absolutely necessary for the driver to visually recognize the operation switches while driving, as this may cause accidents due to inattention to the front. Goodbye.

Therefore, as a means for enabling the start control and the operation control of various devices by operating the operation switch during operation without visually recognizing the operation switch, the utility model 2-5.
A remote control switch for a vehicle disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4616 is available. FIG. 12 shows a driver's cab in which the remote control switch is used, and FIG. 13 shows a schematic configuration thereof in a side view. That is, the display 2 is housed on the back side of the instrument panel 1a of the instrument panel 1 in the cab, the reflecting mirror 3 is arranged in front of the display 2, and the screen displayed on the display 2 is the reflecting mirror 3. Reflected upwards. The reflected light from the reflecting mirror 3 irradiates a reflector 4 which is arranged above the instrument panel 1 so as to face the transporter, and the driver visually recognizes a screen projected on the reflector 4. , The screen of the display 2 can be seen indirectly.

As shown in FIG. 14, on the screen of the display 2 projected on the reflection plate 4, a menu screen 5 in which a total of 12 menu sections of 3 rows × 4 columns is arranged is displayed. In mode, FM / AM switching,
Volume up, down, step, tuning memory switches M1 to M4, etc. are displayed. The vertical cursor 6V moves in the vertical direction and the horizontal cursor 6H moves in the horizontal direction on the switches in each column and each row. The vertical cursor 6V and the horizontal cursor 6H are arbitrarily moved to the menu screen 5 by the switch selecting means 8 described later.
Move it up to move the vertical cursor 6V and horizontal cursor 6
The menu section at the position where H and H intersect is selected and the switch operation is executed.

On the other hand, the floor console 7 is provided with a switch selection means 8 for selecting each menu section displayed on the menu screen 5. As shown in FIG. 15, the switch selecting means 8 includes
A total of 12 position sensors 10 such as Hall elements are arranged in 3 rows × 4 columns corresponding to each menu section shown in FIG. 14, and the driver slides the mouse 11 on the upper surface of the tablet 9. To select each menu section. Mouse 1
1 has a built-in magnet 12 and a mouse 11
When the magnet 12 faces the position sensor 10 by moving, the position sensor 10 operates.

Further, the mouse 11 is provided with a switch 13, and when the magnet 12 of the mouse 11 faces the predetermined position sensor 10, the switch 13 is used to select the facing position sensor 10. Turn on. Further, the steering wheel 14 is provided with mode selection switches 15 to 17 connected to the control device 18, respectively, and the control device 18 controls the display 2, the position sensor 10, the vertical cursor 6V, the horizontal cursor 6H, and the like. Control.

With this configuration, when the vehicle is traveling, for example, when listening to the radio, the driver depresses the radio mode mode selection switch 15 out of the mode selection switches 15 to 17 to perform control. The device 18 displays the radio menu screen 5 displayed on the display screen of the display 2, and the menu screen 5 is reflected by the reflector 3 and displayed on the reflector 4. The driver arbitrarily moves the mouse 11 on the tablet 9 while looking at the radio menu screen 5 displayed on the reflector 4 and the vertical cursor 6V and the horizontal cursor 6H. Then, when the intersection of the vertical cursor 6V and the horizontal cursor 6H on the menu screen 5 reaches a desired menu section position, for example, the position of the tuning memory switch M2, the switch 1 of the mouse 11 is pressed.
By pressing 2, the tuning memory switch M2 is selected, and the signal from the tuning memory switch M2 is sent to the controller 18
And the broadcasting station is selected according to the operation of the tuning memory switch M2.

[0008]

As described above, while operating the mouse 11, the driver looks at the display contents of the reflector 4 and operates the switch selection means 8 to operate the vertical cursor 6V on the menu screen 5. By using the horizontal cursor 6H, a desired menu section can be selected and a desired mounted device can be operated. Then, the switch 13 of the mouse 11 is operated to select and confirm the menu section. However, mouse 1
Since 1 must be operated on the switch selection means 8 of the floor console 7, it is difficult to surely slide and move the mouse 11 under a vehicle environment such as vibration to select a desired switch menu. Further, in order to smoothly slide the mouse 11, the switch selection means 8 must be installed flat, and the installation location of the switch selection means 8 is limited. Furthermore, when the number of menu sections increases,
Since the pitch between the menu sections becomes narrow, there is a limit to the operation using the mouse.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an operating device for an automobile, which can improve the operability of blind touch and can be operated reliably on a menu screen. To aim.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided with a plurality of menu sections for operating a plurality of on-board devices arranged at a predetermined position in front of a driver's seat. Display means for sequentially displaying menu screens arranged in a shape, sensor means in which a plurality of sensors for directly sensing finger positions are arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the menu section, and corresponding to the arrangement of the sensors An input operation means in which a plurality of press switches to be pressed are arranged,
And a control means for displaying a cursor on the display means by an input from the sensor means and controlling the on-board equipment by an input from the input operation means.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, in which various on-board devices 20 installed in an automobile and a menu screen in which a plurality of menu sections are arranged in a matrix for operating each on-board device. , A sensor means 25 for detecting the position of the finger on the menu screen to select a desired menu section from the displayed menu sections, and a designated menu section is pressed. From the input operation means 26 to be operated, and the control means 27 for displaying the cursor on the display means 21 in response to the designation operation of the sensor means 25 and controlling the mounted equipment in response to the pressing input operation of the input operation means 26. Composed.

FIG. 2 shows the inside of the vehicle in which the respective means shown in FIG. 1 are arranged, and is a view of the driver's seat viewed from the steering wheel 22 side in the windshield direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the display means 21 is arranged in the vicinity of the windshield in front of the driver's seat so that the driver does not interfere with safe driving. Further, the sensor means 25 is
It is arranged on the armrest 36 of the door 35.

3 and 4 show a menu screen 24 displayed on the display means 21. The menu screen 24 is
It is composed of six menu sections 23a to 23f arranged in a matrix of 3 rows × 2 columns, and a plurality of menu screens are displayed in a hierarchical manner. That is, the first menu screen is composed of menu sections showing various on-board devices mounted on the automobile, and the second menu screen is composed of menu sections showing operation items for operating the various on-board devices. There is. As the mounted device 20, for example, A
Assuming that the M / FM radio receiver, the air conditioner, etc. are applicable, when the AM / FM radio receiver is selected, the display items displayed in the six menu sections 23a to 23f are, for example, , “AM / FM switching”, “volume increase”, “volume decrease”, “reception frequency increase”, “reception frequency decrease”, “program tuning”, etc., respectively.

When the air conditioner is selected as the on-board equipment, the display items displayed in the six menu sections 23a to 23f are, for example, "switching between cooling and heating" and "increase of set temperature". "," Decrease in set temperature ",
“Blow-off air volume”, “head direction wind direction setting”, “foot direction wind direction setting”, etc. are respectively applied. These menu items are the sensor 25 and the input operation means 26.
Is selected by

FIG. 5 shows an exploded perspective view of the sensor 25 and the input operation means 26, and FIG. 6 shows a partial sectional view thereof. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the input operation means 26 has 3 rows × 2 columns corresponding to the arrangement of the menu sections 23a to 23f (see FIG. 4) displayed on the display means 21 on the printed circuit board 28. Tact switches 26a to 26f arranged in a matrix are mounted. Further, LEDs are provided near the tact switches 26a to 26f, respectively.
A light emitting element 29 such as a (light emitting diode) is provided. The light emitting element 29 is the tact switch 2 which is selectively operated.
It is provided to light and display 6a to 26f.

Further, the control means 27 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on the printed circuit board 28, and is constituted by an integrated circuit microprocessor or the like. A protective layer 30 and a dielectric layer 31 are laminated on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 28 on which the tact switches 26a to 26f, the light emitting element 29, and the control means 27 are mounted. On the dielectric layer 31, touch sensors 25a to 25f, which serve as electrodes for detecting electrostatic capacity that constitute the sensor unit 25, are arranged in 3 rows × 2 columns in correspondence with the arrangement of the menu sections 23a to 23f of the display unit 21. They are arranged in a matrix and each has a tact switch 2.
It corresponds to the upper surface of 6a to 26f.

The upper surfaces of the tact switches 26a to 26f are flush with the surface of the protective layer 30, so that the protective layer 3 is formed.
A window 30a is formed at 0. The top of the light emitting element 29 is exposed through the window 30b formed in the protective layer 30. Therefore, the light emission of the light emitting element 29 can be confirmed through the window 30b from the surface of the translucent surface sheet 32, which will be described later, so that which tact switch is selected can be confirmed.

When the driver's finger touches any of the touch sensors 25a to 25f, the capacitance of the driver is added to the touch sensor to change the capacitance. Therefore, by detecting this change, it is detected that the finger is in contact with any of the touch sensors 25a to 25f. The outputs of the touch sensors 25a to 25f are input to the control means 27, respectively.

On the upper surface of the dielectric layer 31, a surface sheet 32 is provided.
Are laminated. The topsheet 32 is formed with transparent windows 32a to 32f so that the touch sensors 25a to 25f can be seen through from the surface of the topsheet 32. The driver's finger can sequentially contact the exposed touch sensors 25a to 25f through the windows 32a to 32f, and the detection signal of the touch sensor among the touch sensors 25a to 25f that the finger touches is the control unit. When input to 27, the control means 27 detects the position of the touch sensor, that is, the position of the finger. The control means 27 corresponds to the position of the touch sensor with which the finger is in contact, and the display means 2
Illuminate the menu pane to display the cursor 33 at 1.

The driver's finger is touch sensors 25a to 25f.
When the desired menu section is searched by sliding on the surfaces of the windows 32a to 32f so as to scan the surface of the sheet through the windows 32a to 32f of the surface sheet 32, the menu sections 23a to 23f of the display unit 21 are searched. Are sequentially illuminated, and the illumination of the menu section functioning as the cursor 33 is sequentially moved as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 and vice versa. When the driver's finger touches the touch sensor, moves the illumination position of the menu section corresponding to each touch sensor, that is, the position of the cursor 33, and the driver visually recognizes that the cursor 33 is at the desired touch sensor, Who
Press the tact switch located below the desired touch switch. Note that FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show a state where the driver touches the touch sensor and a state where the driver presses the tact switch, respectively. The output of the tact switch is input to the control means 27, and the onboard equipment is controlled by the control means 27.
It is operated based on the instruction from.

As described above, the driver can operate the desired on-board equipment by repeatedly operating the sensor means 25 and the input operation means 26 to sequentially scroll the menu screen of the hierarchical structure.

In the above embodiment, the case where the sensor means 25 is a capacitance sensor has been described, but in addition to this, an optical sensor may be used to detect the finger position. FIG. 11 shows an optical sensor. That is,
A large number of vertical beams 38 generated at equal intervals and a large number of horizontal beams 39 generated at equal intervals are arranged in an orthogonal matrix, and a finger is placed at the intersection of the vertical beams 38 and the horizontal beams 39. The position of the finger is detected by utilizing the fact that the light beam is blocked by the finger when the finger is placed.

Further, a resistance film type sensor for detecting the position of the finger by a change in resistance value may be used. That is, the position of the finger can be detected by utilizing the fact that when the finger comes into contact, the skin resistance of the finger is added to the circuit and the combined resistance of the circuit changes.

[0024]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the menu screen displayed on the display means is directly contacted with a finger to display the cursor on the display means, and the cursor is moved to a desired menu section. You can move it and select a menu pane. Then, the input operation means arranged under the selected menu section can be pressed to confirm the selection operation. In this way, since the menu screen is directly contacted with a finger and slidably moved, it is possible to reliably select a desired menu section and it is easy to grasp the moving distance, so that the operability of blind touch is improved. Can be made. Further, since the selected menu section is confirmed by the pressing operation of the input operation means arranged below the menu section, the selected menu section can be surely confirmed. Further, since the selected menu section is displayed as a cursor on the display means once, it is possible to confirm this and confirm the selected menu section. In this way, since the selection and confirmation of the menu section are independent, an unnecessary menu section is not confirmed by an erroneous operation, and the operability of blind touch can be improved. Further, since the sensor means that is directly contacted with a finger is adopted, the sensor means can be installed even on a curved surface, and the space in the vehicle can be effectively utilized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a part of a driver's seat to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a menu screen displayed on the display means shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a menu screen displayed on the display means shown in FIG.

5 is an exploded perspective view showing configurations of a sensor unit 25 and an input operation unit 26 shown in FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a sensor means 25 and an input operation means 26 shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state where a finger is in contact with a sensor which constitutes the sensor means 25.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state where a finger is in contact with a sensor which constitutes the sensor means 25.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a finger is in contact with the sensor.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a finger comes into contact with the sensor and presses the tact switch.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an optical sensor applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a driver's cab to which a conventional automobile remote control switch is applied.

FIG. 13 is a configuration explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a driver's seat showing a state in which a head-up display is installed in a conventional vehicle remote control switch.

14 is an explanatory diagram showing a menu screen displayed on the head-up display shown in FIG. 13. FIG.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a switch selection means in a conventional vehicle remote control switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 On-board equipment 21 Display means 22 Handles 23a to 23f Menu section 24 Menu screen 25 Sensors 25a to 25f Touch sensor 26 Input operation means 26a to 26f Tact switch 27 Control means 28 Printed circuit board 29 Light emitting element 30 Protective layer 31 Dielectric layer 32 Surface Seat 33 Cursor 34 Driver's seat 35 Door 36 Armrest 37 Finger 38 Vertical beam 39 Horizontal beam

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A display unit arranged at a predetermined position in front of a driver's seat for sequentially displaying a menu screen in which a plurality of menu sections for operating a plurality of on-board devices mounted on the vehicle are arranged in a predetermined shape, respectively. Sensor means in which a plurality of sensors for directly sensing finger positions are arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the menu section, and input operation means in which a plurality of pressing switches to be pressed corresponding to the arrangement of the sensors are arranged. And a control means for displaying a cursor on the display means in response to an input from the sensor means and controlling the mounted device according to an input from the input operation means.