JPH0935190A - Terminal equipment loaded on vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle terminal equipment capable of suppressing the transmission of an unnecessary command generated due to unintended careless key entry. SOLUTION: One-operation/one-action keys including specific keys A for 'deperture' and 'arrival' are mounted on a keyboard 12 in a key input device 11 and each key operation code is sent to an input control part 13 and then transmitted to a main control part 14. At the time of recognizing the initial depression of the 'deperture' key, the control part 13 sets up a transmission inhibition mode to inhibit code transmission following succeeding key entry. A GPS device 15 recognizes that when the vehicle enters into a prescribed area approaching a destination and a processing part 16 commands the control part 13 to reset the transmission inhibition mode. In the prescribed area, a code following the input of the 'arrival' key is transmitted and operation is managed, and in other states, key code transmission is inhibited, so that mistransmission clue to careless key entery can be suppressed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable key input device mounted on a vehicle, for example, for controlling the operation of the vehicle, and in particular, one action command specified by one operation is issued. The present invention relates to a terminal device mounted on a vehicle having a keyboard including a specific key to output.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a freight or personnel transportation business that uses vehicles, business management is performed by transmitting operational information to a base station using a portable terminal device that is installed in a driver's seat of a vehicle. Tend to be In this case, it is considered that the GPS system is used to recognize the position of the own vehicle and the navigation to the destination is performed. From the terminal device, "departure", "break", "highway"
Information such as “arrival” is transmitted to the base station based on the key input operation by the driver. In order to improve the operability of the terminal device used in this way, a remote control system of one operation and one action in which a predetermined command is output by one key operation is adopted.

That is, in a terminal device for vehicle operation management, there is a key for inputting a movement (for example, departure, arrival, break, etc.) for reporting the current situation of an operator (driver). When such a key is input once, the code corresponding to the input key is transmitted to the base station and cannot be canceled. Therefore, if an erroneous input is made based on an erroneous key operation, the data cannot be canceled based on this erroneous input.

In order to prevent such an erroneous key input, it is possible to prohibit the key input under certain conditions. For example, it is conceivable to use a control key to instruct prohibition / permission of key input or to set a predetermined permission or prohibition time width. However, it is not desirable to use such a special control key. Further, if the time range is specified and the key input prohibition process is performed, time management is difficult due to the influence of traffic conditions when the vehicle is mounted, and it is not suitable for key input control.

In particular, in the case of such a portable terminal device, it may be dropped due to mishandling or the like, and a fingertip or the like may be inadvertently brought into contact with the operation surface of the keyboard to make an unintended input. There is a nature. Normally, in this type of terminal device, key input from the keyboard is permitted except when a specific transmission prohibition mode is set. Therefore, even in the case of such an unexpected and unexpected key input, a command corresponding to this key input may be transmitted from this terminal, causing confusion in operation management.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to reliably prevent the transmission of an unnecessary command due to an unintentional and unintentional key input in the driver's seat, thereby ensuring smooth operation management. It is intended to provide a terminal device mounted on a vehicle that enables the execution of such tasks.

[0007]

A terminal device mounted on a vehicle according to the present invention is a keyboard including a specific key for outputting one action command specified by one operation. With the geographical information being set,
A state in which a vehicle position recognizing unit capable of recognizing the existing position of the vehicle is provided, and an input operation of the specific key set on the keyboard is determined by a key input determining unit, and an operation of the specific key is determined by the key input different unit Then, the transmitting means transmits the command information associated with the operation of the specific key to the base station, and prohibits the transmission toward the base station associated with the key operation on the keyboard while the operation of the specific key is determined. Set the prohibit mode. Further, in a state where the predetermined area recognition means recognizes that the vehicle has entered a predetermined area approaching the destination, the transmission prohibition mode is canceled by the transmission prohibition means, and the keyboard is released based on the cancellation of the transmission prohibition mode. The command based on the key operation in step 1 is transmitted to the base station.

Here, the specific key is composed of keys for instructing "departure" and "arrival" for managing the operation of the vehicle, and when the "departure" key is input, subsequent transmission is prohibited and the vehicle is The key input of “arrival” is permitted while the user is in the predetermined area, and the command is transmitted.

In the terminal device configured as described above,
For example, when operating from point A to point B, a predetermined area within a specific distance range centered on the coordinates of point B, which is the destination of arrival, is set. Then, at the time of departure at the point A, a specific key of the keyboard, which instructs "departure", is operated,
In this state, the "departure" dynamic information is transmitted from the transmitting means in the transmission permitted state to the base station. After the transmission is completed, the transmission means is set to the transmission prohibition mode, and even if a key operation is performed on the keyboard thereafter, information is not transmitted in response to this key operation. That is, even if an unexpected key input is made, the dynamic information is not transmitted by this key input. Then, when the vehicle progresses and approaches the point B of the destination and enters the predetermined area, the transmission prohibition mode is released, the input of the "arrival" key on the keyboard is allowed, and the dynamic information is transmitted to the base station. The reception of unnecessary information at the base station is eliminated, and the dynamic state of the vehicle is reliably managed.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the terminal device. In the key input device 11, a keyboard 12 is set. The keyboard 12 is composed of a plurality of keys for instructing one action by one operation. For example, the keyboard 12 has a specific key A for instructing "departure" and "arrival", and other "rest", "highway", etc. A plurality of key groups B for instructing the dynamics of The key operation by the keyboard is executed by an operator such as a driver, and a predetermined code generated by the key operation is sent to the input control unit 13.

The input control unit 13 has a function of transmitting the code sent from the keyboard 12 to the main control unit 14. When the code from the key group B is received, the input control unit 13 sends the code as it is. Send to 14. However, when the code associated with the operation of the specific key classified as the key A is received, the “transmission prohibition mode” is set after the code of the key A is transmitted to the main control unit 14. After such a transmission prohibition mode is set, the codes associated with all key operations from the keyboard 12 are prohibited from being sent to the main control unit 14.

Further, the key input device 11 is provided with a GPS (Global Positioning System) device 15. The GPS device 15 recognizes the coordinate position of the own vehicle by receiving and processing radio waves from GPS satellites. This G
The information corresponding to the coordinate position of the own vehicle recognized by the PS device 15 is sent to the processing unit 16, and in the processing unit 16, whether or not the current vehicle position is within a predetermined area approaching the destination destination. When it is determined that the own vehicle has entered the predetermined area, a command is given to the input control unit 13. If the "transmission prohibition mode" is set in the input control unit 13, the prohibition mode is immediately released. Then, in the state in which the "transmission prohibited mode" is released, all input codes associated with key operations on the keyboard 12 are sent to the main control unit 14 and are sent to the base station.

FIG. 2 shows the flow of processing in such a terminal device. In step 101, the keyboard 12
It is determined whether or not a key operation input has been made. If it is determined in step 101 that a key operation input has been made, the process proceeds to step 102 to determine whether or not the transmission prohibition mode is set. In the initial state, the transmission is always set, and the transmission prohibition mode is not set.

When it is determined that the transmission prohibition mode is not set, the procedure proceeds to step 103, where the key code input from the keyboard 12 is sent to the main control section 14,
This input key code is transmitted to the base station.

In the case of managing truck transportation, the initial state is set at the time of departure, and at the time of departure, the keyboard 12 of the key input device 11, particularly the specific key A for instructing "departure" is operated. Then, a code indicating “departure” is transmitted to the base station and received by the base station to be used as operation management information. In the next step 104, it is determined whether or not the key input on the keyboard 12 is the specific key A. When the specific key for instructing "departure" is operated, the key A If it is determined that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step 105. This step 105
Then, based on the input judgment of the specific key A, the "transmission prohibition mode" is set and the process returns.

When a key is further operated on the keyboard 12 in such a state, it is judged at step 102 that the transmission prohibition mode is set. In this way, the process proceeds to step 106. In step 106, it is determined based on the position information from the GPS device 15 whether the current vehicle position is within a predetermined area approaching the destination. Then, when it is determined that the vehicle is not yet in the predetermined area, the process proceeds to step 107, and a process for preventing the code based on the operation of the keyboard 12 from being sent to the main control unit 14 is performed.

For example, in the case of truck transportation, a break or the like is appropriately performed after leaving the departure point, and a key input operation (key group B) corresponding to the "break" is performed at this break. Such dynamic information is not transmitted to the base station each time. Similarly, when entering a highway, a key input operation for instructing "highway" is performed, but this is also not transmitted to the base station. Then, the movement information after the departure may be appropriately recorded in the recording mechanism attached to the terminal device.

In this way, when the truck advances to the destination and enters the predetermined area, it is recognized by the GPS device 15 and the fact that the vehicle has entered the predetermined area is transmitted to the processing unit 16. The processing in step 108 is executed. That is, in this step 108, when the processing of "transmission prohibition mode release" is executed and the key input operation is performed next on the keyboard 12, the step
The process proceeds from 102 to step 103, and, for example, the dynamic information corresponding to the “arrival” key input is sent to the main control unit 14 and sent to the base station.

For example, in a truck used in the transportation business, this terminal device is mounted in the driver's seat. In this terminal device, a dynamic key (specific key A) for instructing “departure” and “arrival” that are appropriately input during truck operation, as well as “rest”, “highway”, etc. that are input corresponding to truck operation A keyboard is provided to set the dynamic keys of. After the "departure" dynamic key is operated at the time of departure, it is not necessary to operate the "arrival" dynamic key together with the "departure" key until the destination is reached. Therefore, in the terminal device used for such operation management, it becomes a problem when the dynamic keys of "departure" and "arrival" are operated unnecessarily, and these two keys become the specific keys to be controlled. After the "departure" key is input, the "arrival" key input is prohibited until a specific condition is satisfied.

That is, when the "departure" dynamic key is operated once at the time of departure, these two dynamic keys are specifically targeted for the transmission prohibition mode, and the code corresponding to this specific key is the base station. Never sent to.

In this case, a predetermined key input is made even after a departure, such as during a break, but such dynamic information is of low importance for arrival management and the like. Therefore, in this embodiment. Is subject to the transmission prohibition mode. However, when entering a key other than such a specific key, it is not necessary to set the transmission prohibition mode, and only the "departure" and "arrival" that are important in operation management are prohibited from being transmitted. You may want to be told. When the GPS device confirms that the vehicle has arrived at the destination, the transmission prohibition mode is canceled so that the key input of “arrival”, which is important for operation management, is accepted by the main control unit. , The transmission processing is performed to the base station, and erroneous input of the “departure” and “arrival” dynamic keys are reduced.

In addition, such a terminal device can also be effectively applied to a vehicle carrying personnel such as a taxi, and by setting the coordinates of the destination to the destination coordinates designated by the passenger, for example, a taxi. Operation management can be performed effectively at the base.

[0023]

As described above, in the terminal device mounted on the vehicle according to the present invention, unnecessary transmission processing or the like is performed when a key operation particularly important for dynamic management is erroneously performed. In particular, in a situation where it is easy to mishandle a portable small terminal, erroneous key input is eliminated, and vehicle operation management can be smoothly executed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing in the terminal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Key input device, 12 ... Keyboard, 13 ... Input control unit,
14 ... Main control unit, 15 ... GPS device, 16 ... Processing unit.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A keyboard mounted on a driver's seat of a vehicle, the keyboard including a specific key for outputting one action command specified by one operation, and destination information of the vehicle is set, and Vehicle position recognition means capable of recognizing the existing position of the vehicle, key input determination means for determining an input operation of the specific key set on the keyboard, and operation of the specific key by the key input determination means In a discriminated state, transmitting means for transmitting command information associated with the operation of the specific key to the base station, and in a state in which the key input discriminating means discriminates the operation of the specific key, the transmission of the command information by the transmitting means ends A transmission prohibition mode setting means for prohibiting transmission toward the base station due to a key operation on the keyboard later, and the vehicle position recognizing means make the vehicle reach the destination. Predetermined area recognition means for recognizing that the vehicle has entered the approaching predetermined area, and when the predetermined area recognition means recognizes that the vehicle has entered the predetermined area, the transmission prohibition means prohibits transmission. And a transmission prohibition mode canceling means for canceling the transmission prohibition mode, and based on the cancellation of the transmission prohibition mode, a command based on a key operation on the keyboard is transmitted to the base station. Terminal device. 2. The specific key is a key for instructing "departure" and "arrival" for managing the operation of the vehicle, and when the "departure" key is input, subsequent transmission is prohibited and the vehicle is The command is transmitted in response to the key input of the "arrival" in a state where the user has entered a predetermined area.
A terminal device mounted on the vehicle described. 3. The vehicle position recognizing means is composed of a GPS device, the destination is set by its coordinates, and the predetermined area is designated by a range of distance specified from the coordinates of the destination. The terminal device mounted on the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is set.