JP2000039847A - Inclining degree controller of car navigation device screen - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inclining degree controller of a car navigation device screen capable of automatically adjusting an inclining degree of the screen according to the solar radiation situation. SOLUTION: A car navigation device 2 arranged on an instrument panel 1 is held by a holding mechanism to turn it in the fore-and-aft directions of the vehicle by a motor 9, and a solar radiation sensor 5 is arranged in the circumference. And, this device is provided with a driver's eye point detecting means 12 based on a signal detected by a position sensor of a driver's seat, a sun altitude judging means 13 corresponding to the seasons by inputting a data of time and date, a tilt angle calculating means 14 for calculating a tilt angle for daytime solar radiation and a tilt angle for side solar radiation which face more downward than a usual tilt angle of the screen suitable for an eye point, and a tilt angle setting means 10 for setting to a motor control circuit 11 either of these tilt angles and a night use tilt angle at which the screen does not reflect on the wind glass.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tilt angle of a screen of a car navigation device for controlling a tilt angle of a screen of a car navigation device arranged on an instrument panel in accordance with a driver's body type or posture and a solar radiation condition. The present invention relates to a control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The screen of a car navigation system is not covered with a hood and is located behind the hood unlike a vehicle meter. Therefore, the screen is viewed from an easy-to-see position perpendicular to the driver's line of sight. 2. Description of the Related Art A support structure in which a screen is tilted manually or electrically according to a solar radiation situation is well known.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the fact that such adjustment cannot be performed during driving, the present invention provides a car navigation apparatus which can automatically adjust the tilt position of the screen according to the sunshine situation. It is an object to provide a screen inclination control device.

[0004]

In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, according to the present invention, the inclination angle of the screen of the car navigation device arranged on the instrument panel is changed according to the driver's body type and solar radiation condition. In the inclination control device of the car navigation device screen for controlling according to,
The car navigation device provided on the instrument panel is supported by a support mechanism that is rotated by a motor in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a solar radiation sensor is arranged on or around the car navigation device, and the position is adjusted to suit the driver. Eye point detecting means for detecting the driver's eye point based on the detection signal of the seat position sensor of the driver's seat, and sun position determining means for determining the height of the sun corresponding to the season by inputting time and date data. A tilt angle calculating means for calculating a normal tilt angle of a screen corresponding to the eye point, and calculating a downward tilt angle for daylight and a tilt angle for side solar radiation respectively corresponding to the normal tilt angle, and a motor; A motor control circuit for driving control, and a normal inclination angle, a daylight inclination angle, and a side sunlight inclination angle with respect to the motor control circuit. And a tilt angle setting means for setting any of the night tilt angles that do not reflect the screen and the screen on the windshield are attached to the motor, and the tilt angle setting means determines that the sun height determined by the sun position determining means is high, And when the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor exceeds the level corresponding to clear weather, it is set to the daylight solar radiation inclination angle, and it is judged that the sun height is low enough that there is a possibility that the sun will enter from the side, and the solar radiation sensor If the detection signal exceeds the level corresponding to fine weather, set the tilt angle for side sunlight, and further set the tilt angle for night when it is determined that it is night based on the operation signal of the sun position determining means or the headlight. It is characterized by the following.

The eye point detecting means detects an eye point corresponding to the driver's body type and sitting posture by detecting a position setting state such as a front / rear position of the driver's seat or a reclining angle. The tilt angle calculating means calculates the tilt angle of the screen that matches the line of sight from the eye point, and corresponds to the normal tilt angle to avoid a reflection due to daytime solar radiation, and a relatively downward tilt angle for daytime solar radiation and The tilt angle for side solar radiation that avoids reflection due to side solar radiation is calculated. The inclination angle for side sunlight prevents direct light from entering the screen. The tilt angle setting means sets the screen to the daylight tilt angle by the motor via the motor control circuit when the sun height is determined to be high and the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor exceeds a level corresponding to fine weather. I do. If it is determined that the sun height is low enough to allow the sun to enter from the side and the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor exceeds a level corresponding to fine weather, the inclination angle for side solar radiation is set. If it is determined to be nighttime, for example, it is set to the nighttime tilt angle at the vertical position.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An apparatus for controlling the inclination of a screen of a car navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The car navigation device 2
As shown in FIG. 3, the instrument 2 is supported by a support mechanism having a rotating shaft 3 which is provided on the instrument panel 1 and is driven to rotate forward and backward by a motor 9, so that the screen 2a can be monitored from the position covered by the hood during operation. It turns to the solid line position shown. In addition, a solar radiation sensor 5 is arranged on an instrument panel portion at the front of the car navigation device 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor 9 has a motor control circuit 11 for driving and controlling the motor 9 so as to rotate the screen 2a in response to the set tilt angle, and a setting for the driver's seat 8. Eye point detecting means 12 for detecting the driver's eye point E in response thereto, and solar position determining means 13 for determining the height and azimuth of the sun by inputting the time and date signals.
A tilt angle calculating means 14 for calculating a normal tilt angle of the screen 2a corresponding to the eye point E and determining a daylight tilt angle and a side solar tilt angle which are respectively downward with respect to the normal tilt angle; One of the above-described tilt angles is periodically applied to the motor control circuit 11 in accordance with the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor 5, the determination result of the sun position determination means 13, the operation signal of the wiper, and the data supplied from the car navigation device. And an inclination angle setting means 10 for setting the angle.

Each of these means 10, 12 to 14 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a ROM 21 storing the program for each function and fixed data, a RAM 2 including a work area.
2, a microcomputer having a timer 23, a CPU 20, and the like. The process is repeated in response to the timer signal, for example, every five minutes.

That is, the eye point detecting means 12 receives the detection signal of the attached seat position sensor for detecting the sliding position of the driver's seat 8 in the front-rear direction and the reclining angle of the seat back at the start of the operation of the car navigation device 2 in the RAM.
The two-dimensional position of the driver's eye point E assumed from both seat position data is calculated by comparing the two-dimensional position with the table stored in the ROM 21. In other words, the height is estimated to be higher as the slide position is located rearward, and the height of the eyes is slightly reduced as the reclining angle is increased, so that the height is corrected to shift slightly backward. Instead of a table, a conversion formula using both sheet position data as variables may be stored.

The sun position determining means 13 fetches the time and date data from the car navigation device 2 into the RAM 22 while periodically updating the time and date data.
The table stored in 21 is searched, and the data of the sun height and the direction of the sun corresponding to the time considering the season are periodically created.

The tilt angle calculating means 14 calculates the tilt angle by comparing a table stored in the ROM 21 as tilt angle data for making the screen 2a orthogonal to the standard line of sight of the detected eye point E. That is, the higher the eye point E is, the more upward the tilt angle of the screen 2a is, and the lower the rear is located at the same height, the more downward. Further, the inclination angle for daytime solar radiation and the inclination angle for side solar radiation which are respectively directed downward with respect to the normal inclination angle are collated with the table stored in the ROM 21 and stored in the RAM 22. The tilt angle for daylight insolation is
In order to prevent the direct light from above from being incident on the screen 2a or the reflected light from the windshield, instrument panel, etc., the light is turned downward toward the rear from the roof trim and is slightly lower than the vertical, for example. It is upward. The side sunlight inclination angle is a normal position where direct light does not enter from the side glass or the like of the passenger seat when the screen is viewed, and is upward in the middle of the daytime sunlight inclination angle.

The inclination angle setting means 10 compares the sun height determined by the sun position determination means 13 with a table stored in the ROM 21 and determines that the sun height is high enough to prevent the sun from entering from the side. The detection signal digitized and captured by the A / D converter 15 of the solar radiation sensor 5 is compared with the level corresponding to the fine weather stored in the ROM 21. To set the daylight tilt angle. that time,
Even if it does not exceed, for example, if it exceeds the fine weather level continuously for 10 seconds during the first minute, it is judged that it is shade due to the surrounding environment or partial clouds, and Set.

When it is judged that the sun height is low to the extent that the sun is likely to enter from the side, and when it exceeds the sunny level for side sunlight slightly lower than the daylight sunny level, it is actually from the side. It is determined whether or not there is a possibility that the sun will enter. That is, the table created by checking the range of the direction of the sun according to the vehicle body structure and the direction of the sun in which the sun is to be inserted from the side by the test is R.
It is stored in the OM 21. Then, referring to this table with respect to the traveling direction data taken from the car navigation device 2, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility that the sun will be inserted from the side, and if so, the inclination angle for side solar radiation is set. I do. At this time, even if the sun does not exceed the above, if it is determined by the above-described method that there is a shade due to the surrounding environment or a partial cloud, it is further determined whether there is a possibility that the sun will enter from the side. Further, even if the low level continues for the first minute, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility that the solar radiation sensor 5 may be caused by the shadow by the vehicle body or the interior structure based on the traveling direction and the bearing data. In some cases, it is further determined whether or not there is a possibility that the sun will enter from the side in the traveling direction.

Further, when the sun position judging means 13 judges that it is nighttime, the tilt angle setting means 10 vertically sets the screen 2a so that the screen 2a is not reflected on the upper windshield portion regardless of the eye point E. Set the night tilt angle. When the wiper is operated during rainy weather, the operation of the inclination angle setting means 10 is stopped in response to the wiper operation signal, and the normal inclination angle is automatically set. Incidentally, as another embodiment, the determination at night can also use the operation signal of the headlamp,
Further, in order to simplify the configuration, it may be considered that rainy weather is determined from the detection signal level of the night and day radiation sensor 5 without taking in the operation signal of the wiper.

The operation of the thus-configured inclination control device will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At the start of the operation of the car navigation system 2, the optimum normal inclination angle of the screen 2a is calculated for the driver according to the detection signal of the seat position sensor of the driver's seat 8, and correspondingly, the inclination angle for daytime sunlight and the inclination angle for side sunlight are calculated. The tilt angle is also calculated.

If it is determined at night in consideration of the season based on the time and date data, the screen 2a is tilted at night in order to reduce the brightness itself of the screen 2a and prevent an image from being reflected on the upper part of the windshield. It is set perpendicular to the corner. When the wiper is operating in rainy weather other than at night, the normal inclination angle shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 is automatically set regardless of the detection signal level of the solar radiation sensor 5 or the traveling direction.

When it is determined that the sun height is high while the wiper is not in operation, if the detection signal level of the solar radiation sensor 5 corresponds to a sunny day, the inclination angle for daytime solar radiation is set to a dotted line in FIG. At this time, even when the solar radiation sensor 5 is temporarily shaded, the inclination angle for daytime solar radiation is set. In other detection states, it is determined that the sky is cloudy and, in some cases, a long tunnel, and the normal inclination angle is set.

When it is determined that the sun height is low while the wiper is not operated, if the detection signal level of the solar radiation sensor 5 corresponds to sunny, the traveling direction data of the own vehicle taken from the car navigation device 2 is changed according to the season. If there is a possibility that the sun is azimuthally inserted from the side with respect to the sun height determined from the time and the time, the inclination is set to the side solar radiation angle, and if there is no possibility of the sun being inserted, the normal inclination is set. However, when the solar radiation level does not reach the fine weather level, it is temporary, or when the solar radiation sensor 5 may be shaded due to the structure of the vehicle body roof or the seat from the data of the direction and running direction of the sun. In addition, it is further determined whether or not there is a possibility that the sun will enter from the side in that direction. If there is no possibility of the sun coming in from the side even in fine weather, the inclination is usually set.

[0019]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the phenomenon in which the screen of the car navigation system becomes difficult to see due to direct light, reflected light from the instrument panel or the windshield during the daytime when the weather is clear is turned downward. It is avoided by doing. In addition, it is possible to prevent the direct light from the evening side from overlapping with the line of sight to the screen. Further, the vertical rotation at night prevents the screen from being reflected on the upper windshield.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by judging the direction of the evening sun, the vehicle is tilted downward from the normal position only when there is a possibility that the sun may actually enter from the side with respect to the traveling direction. it can. According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the solar radiation sensor is temporarily shaded by a building or when a cloud is covered, an angle adjustment that is easier to see than a reflection phenomenon is selected. According to the invention of claim 4, the control operation from the normal position is stopped when the wiper is operated,
The determination of rainy weather is simple and accurate, and unnecessary operations in rainy weather are reliably avoided. According to the invention of claim 5,
A malfunction when the solar radiation sensor is shaded by a vehicle body structure or the like in the evening on a sunny day is avoided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a car navigation device screen inclination control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the inclination control device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an instrument panel portion provided with the car navigation device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the inclination control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instrument panel 2 Car navigation system 2a Screen 5 Solar radiation sensor 8 Driver's seat

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A car navigation device screen inclination control device for controlling an inclination angle of a screen of a car navigation device arranged on an instrument panel according to a driver's body type and a solar radiation condition. A car navigation device provided is supported by a support mechanism that is rotated by a motor in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a solar radiation sensor is disposed at or around the car navigation device, and the position of the driver's seat is adjusted to suit the driver. Eye point detecting means for detecting the driver's eye point based on the detection signal of the seat position sensor, sun position determining means for determining the height of the sun corresponding to the season by inputting time and date data, Calculate the normal tilt angle of the screen that matches the point, and corresponding to this normal tilt angle A tilt angle calculating means for calculating a tilt angle for daylight insolation and a tilt angle for side insolation, a motor control circuit for driving and controlling the motor, and a normal tilt angle for the motor control circuit; Tilt angle setting means for setting any one of a tilt angle, the tilt angle for side sunlight, and a tilt angle for night when the screen is not reflected on a windshield, is attached to the motor; When the sun height determined by the determination means is determined to be high, and the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor exceeds a level corresponding to fine weather, the inclination angle for daytime solar radiation is set, and there is a possibility that the sun will enter from the side. Is determined to be low to some extent, and when the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor exceeds a level corresponding to fine weather, the tilt angle for side solar radiation is set, and the solar position determination is further performed. Slope control device of the car navigation device screen and setting the nighttime tilt angle when it is determined that the night based on the operation signal of the means or the headlight. 2. The sun position determining means further determines the direction of the sun based on time and date data, and the inclination angle setting means determines the traveling direction taken from the car navigation device when the sun height is determined to be low. 2. The inclination control device for a car navigation device screen according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the sun can actually be inserted from the side based on the data, and the inclination is set for the side solar radiation. 3. The tilt angle setting means periodically takes in the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor, and when the level temporarily exceeds a level corresponding to fine weather during the period, it is determined that the level has exceeded this level. The inclination control device for a car navigation device screen according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The tilt control device for a car navigation device screen according to claim 1, wherein the tilt angle setting means sets a normal tilt angle at all times during operation of the wiper. 5. When the detection signal of the solar radiation sensor does not exceed a level corresponding to fine weather, the inclination angle setting means further shades the vehicle body or the interior structure based on the data of the sun height, its azimuth and the running direction. The inclination control device for a screen of a car navigation device according to claim 2, wherein it is determined whether or not there is a possibility.