JP2001143559A - On-board driving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable switch-operate unsightedly every kind of unit loaded on a car. SOLUTION: Switches 3a, 3b and 3c are disposed at positions near to grip portion 2 of a steering handle 4 in steering wheel 1. A driving can operate the switches 3a, 3b and 3c with fingers in the state of gripping steering wheel 1 in hands. A voice processing part 41 outputs voice from a speaker responding to the operation of switches 3a, 3b and 3c, and an unevenness portion for acknowledging touch is formed at an outer circumference of the switches 3a, 3b, 3c, so that the driver can acknowledge the present operating state through the voice and the feel without watching of the switch group. Therefore, driving operation is more comfortable in comparison with prior arts in which a driver operates the switches in the sight of them.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vehicle operation device for operating various on-vehicle units mounted on an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent development of electronic technology, many in-vehicle units (electric devices) have been mounted in the field of automobiles. That is, in one automobile, for example, a clock,
FM multiplex communication, car navigation, television receiver, music cassette tape, music CD, music MD, radio, diagnosis (failure inspection), air conditioning (air condition), meter display, light, wiper control,
Various functions such as turning (right turn or left turn) in handling, lighting of a hazard lamp, and warning display are respectively executed by a plurality of electronic in-vehicle units.

[0003] Under such circumstances, when operating a variety of switches arranged on an instrument panel or the like in a vehicle cabin, for example, the driver operates the switches with visual observation. However, as the number of in-vehicle functions increases, the necessary switches are selected and operated from among many switches, which is troublesome.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to combine operation switches in a position that is easy for a driver to use, and to provide a feeling by a tactile sensation at the time of switch operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle operation device capable of selecting a necessary switch without visually recognizing a combination of operation guidance by voice.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems,
The invention according to claim 1 is an in-vehicle operation device for operating various in-vehicle units mounted on an automobile, wherein the in-vehicle operation device is provided near a connection portion of the grip portion in a steering wheel pad supporting a grip portion of a steering wheel. A switch group that is arranged; and a switch input unit that transmits various operation signals to the various on-vehicle units through a predetermined electric communication path based on a signal related to an operation from the switch group.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a voice processing unit for outputting a voice corresponding to an operation state of the switch group through a speaker based on the operation signal output from the switch input unit. is there.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the switch group includes at least a dial switch that is operated by changing a rotation angle position of a dial member rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis. A tactile sensation unevenness portion for identifying a rotation angle position by a tactile sensation with a finger is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the dial member of the switch.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the switch group includes at least a push-button switch.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the sound processing section synthesizes a sound corresponding to the operation signal based on the operation signal and outputs the synthesized sound from a speaker.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the sound processing section can select at least a scale corresponding to the operation signal based on the operation signal, and output the sound of the scale from a speaker. It is said that.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the switch group arranged near the pair of grip portions of the steering wheel, switches arranged near one of the grip portions are various. Is used for selecting an operation mode for selecting one of the operation types described above, and a switch disposed in the vicinity of the other grip portion is used to execute the operation selected in the operation mode. It is used for

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <Structure> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an in-vehicle operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the on-vehicle operating device includes a plurality of switches 3a, 3b, and 3c arranged near a grip portion 2 of a steering wheel 1 of an automobile. The switches 3a, 3b, and 3c are operated with a thumb or the like while holding 2.

More specifically, each of the switches 3a, 3b, 3c
Is formed at a position near the grip portion 2 on the steering wheel pad 4 that supports the steering wheel 1.

The first switch 3a is a dial switch (rotary switch) installed at the right end of the steering wheel pad 4 in FIG. 1, and as shown in FIG.
The dial member 6 includes a substantially disk-shaped dial member 6 and a rotary shaft 7 formed to project perpendicularly from the center of the circular surface of the dial member 6. An optical or electrical contact type is detected and converted into an electrical signal. By rotating the first switch 3a, the operator designates an operation mode such as selection of an operation target device such as a "radio" or a "compact disk (CD)".

Here, the rotating shaft 7 of the first switch 3a is
It is supported by a slender bearing slit 8 extending in the front-rear direction, and is directed toward the driver by an urging member formed of an elastic body such as a winding spring (not shown) (direction indicated by an arrow F in FIG. 2).
Has been energized. The rotating shaft 7 is made of a conductive material such as metal. When the first switch 3a is pressed against an urging member (not shown), the rotating shaft 7 is located on the back side of the bearing slit 8 (on the side opposite to the driver). ) A pair of connection terminals 9 installed in
a and 9b are brought into contact with the rotating shaft 7, so that both connection terminals 9 are provided.
a and 9b are electrically connected through the rotating shaft 7 of the first switch 3a. Thereby, the first switch 3a functions not only as a dial switch but also as a push switch. The function of the first switch 3a as a push switch is, for example,
When the operation mode is specified by rotating the first switch 3a about the rotation shaft 7 as a dial switch, the switch is used to determine the specified operation mode.

A tactile sensation identifying unevenness 11 is formed on the circumference of the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a so that the rotational angle position of the dial member 6 can be visually identified by the tactile sensation of a finger. ing. This tactile sensation unevenness portion 11
For example, the number of recesses is changed for each fixed area of the circumference of the dial member 6, or the shape of the protrusions or recesses is changed to a cross, a vertical bar, a horizontal bar, a circle, a triangle, or the like. By doing so, for example, the rotational angle position of the dial member 6 can be easily identified only by the feeling of the thumb or the like.

Second switch 3b and third switch 3c
Is an autonomous return type push button switch installed at the left end of the steering wheel pad 4 in FIG. 1. For example, regarding the operation of the volume in audio reproduction of a radio, a compact disc, or the like, the volume is increased. The push operation is instructed by the second switch 3b, and the push operation is instructed by the third switch 3c to decrease the volume. In addition, in the reception frequency selection operation in selecting a broadcasting station such as a radio, it is meant that a push operation instruction is given by the second switch 3b to increase the reception frequency, and a push operation instruction is given by the third switch 3c to decrease the reception frequency. I have.

These switches 3a, 3b, 3c are connected to an electric communication path 15 in the automobile through a switch input section 13, as shown in FIG. This telecommunication path 15
Is a so-called in-vehicle LAN (local area network), which is an audio device 21 such as a radio, a compact disk or an in-vehicle television receiver, a car navigation device 22, a door mirror 23, a switch unit 24 in an instrument panel, an air conditioner. (Air conditioner) 25, various instruments (meters) 2
6. Bus connection of various in-vehicle units such as the power window 27 and the light 28 so that they can communicate with each other.
The switch input unit 13 transmits an operation signal to the various in-vehicle units 21 to 28 via the electric communication path 15 based on the signals operated by the switches 3a, 3b, 3c, so that the driving intended by the operator can be performed in the various in-vehicle units 21. To 28.

Here, the switch input section 13 is provided with an external input controller 31 to which signals operated by the switches 3a, 3b, 3c are input, and various signals mounted on the external input controller 31 in response to the signals input to the external input controller 31. Unit 21
Switch control unit (CPU) that sends operation signals to
32, and an operation signal output from the switch control unit 32 via a bus connected to the electric communication path 15
5 and a bus controller 33 for sending the signal to the bus controller 5.

In the on-vehicle operation device, the operation status using the switches 3a, 3b, 3c is converted into an audio signal by the audio processing unit 41, and the audio is notified through the speaker 42. As shown in FIG. 3, the voice processing unit 41 inputs an operation signal given from the switch input unit 13 through the electric communication path 15 through the bus controller 43 and inputs the operation signal to a voice control unit 44 using a CPU. Has become. Then, the audio control unit 44
A predetermined software program stored in advance in the memory 45 is read out and temporarily stored in the RAM 46, and the operation corresponding to the operation of the switches 3a, 3b, and 3c is performed in accordance with the operation procedure defined in the software program in the RAM 46. A (analog) / D (digital) conversion and D (digital) / A (analog)
After the signal conversion is performed by the signal conversion unit 47 that performs the conversion, an audio signal is output to the speaker 42 through an external input / output (external I / O) circuit 48.

Here, the voice synthesized by the voice control unit 44 is rotated by the rotation of the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a as a dial switch and the pressing operation by the second and third switches 3b and 3c as the push switches. Accordingly, the operation contents are synthesized so as to be identifiable, and the electronic sound of the musical scale corresponding to the designated operation mode is selected with the rotation of the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a.

For example, when the dial member 6 is rotated to select the operation mode of "radio volume adjustment" and the first switch 3a is pressed against the urging member and the operation mode is determined, the scale is set. "Do" to "CD volume adjustment"
When the operation mode is selected and confirmed, the scale "R" is selected, and the signal of the electronic sound of such a scale is converted into the signal conversion unit 47.
Output.

In the voice processing unit 41, a plurality of human voice files are prepared in the ROM 45 in advance, and the voice corresponding to the voice voice is selected with the rotation of the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a. Output from the speaker 42 in advance.

[0024] Then, the voice notification regarding the designation or change of the operation mode is expressed by a scale or by outputting a voice (hereinafter referred to as "guidance mode").
Change), the switch 3a, 3
The designation can be changed by b and 3c. That is, after switching the first switch 3a to select and confirm the voice switching mode, the guide mode can be changed using the second switch 3b and the third switch 3c. In this case, once the output voice method is changed, the specified guidance mode is stored in a storage medium such as a flash ROM (not shown). Even if it starts, it will not be changed unless the guidance mode is changed next time.

Reference numeral 49 in FIG. 3 indicates a microphone device for the operator to instruct the drive control of the various on-vehicle units 21 to 28 by voice, and the voice of the operator collected here is external. I / O 48 and signal converter 47
Is transmitted to the voice control unit 44 through the
After the voice recognition is performed in step 4, the syntax analysis and the keyword analysis are performed, and the specified operation is analyzed. Then, various operation signals are transmitted to the various on-vehicle units 21 to 28 in response to the analysis. I have.

<Operation> The operation of the in-vehicle operation device having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, an operator (driver) activates the on-vehicle operating device (system activation: step S0). Then, while holding the grip portion 2 of the steering wheel 1 shown in FIG. 1 with both hands, for example, by turning the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a with the thumb of the right hand, the operation mode intended by the operator is performed. Is specified.

At this time, since the tactile sensation identifying irregularities 11 are formed on the circumference of the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a, the rotation angle position of the dial member 6 can be set only by the touch of the operator's thumb or the like. It can be easily identified visually.

After the dial member 6 is rotated in this manner and selected by the tactile sensation unevenness portion 11, the operator pushes the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a inward to confirm the selected operation mode. Side (opposite the driver). Then, the rotating shaft 7 of the first switch 3a moves to the rear side in the bearing slit 8 against a biasing force (not shown) and comes into contact with the pair of connection terminals 9a and 9b. Here, the rotating shaft 7 is made of a conductive material, and a pair of connection terminals 9 a and 9 b are electrically connected through the rotating shaft 7. As a result, a signal indicating that the operation mode has been determined by operating the first switch 3 a is transmitted to the switch control unit 32 through the external input controller 31 of the switch input unit 13.

The switch control unit 32 executes the processing in step S in FIG.
As in 1, the input of the signal given from the first switch 3a to the switch input unit 13 is determined. That is, the switch input unit 13 receives a signal from the first switch 3a input to the external input controller 31, and transmits an operation signal to the various on-vehicle units 21 to 28. At this time, the various in-vehicle units 21 to 28 receive an operation signal in a corresponding case according to a signal about the operation mode selected by the rotation of the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a. For example, when an operation mode such as “volume adjustment of radio” is designated by the first switch 3a, an operation signal is transmitted from the switch control unit 32 to the audio device 21, or the “car control” is transmitted by the first switch 3a. When an operation mode such as “search for optimal route for navigation” is designated, an operation signal is received by the car navigation device 22. Also, this operation signal
It is also transmitted to the audio processing unit 41 through the electric communication path 15.

Next, in step S2, the voice control unit 44 of the voice processing unit 41 determines whether the content of the operation is a normal operation input or a change of the guidance mode. If the input is a normal operation input, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, based on the information already stored in the storage medium such as the flash ROM, it is determined whether the guidance mode at the time of voice notification is to output words or to express in a musical scale. If the output is a word, step S4
The voice processing unit 41 refers to the guidance item based on the obtained operation signal. Then, step S5
, A voice prepared in advance in the ROM 45 is selected based on the reference result of the guidance item, and the selected voice is output from the speaker 42 (voice guidance processing).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that the guidance mode at the time of voice notification is a musical scale expression such as "doremi ...", the process proceeds to step S6. Then, the voice processing unit 41 refers to the guidance item based on the obtained operation signal, and further selects, in step S7, scale data prepared in advance in the ROM 45 based on the reference result of the guidance item. The electronic sound of the selected scale is output from the speaker 42 (voice guidance processing).

By these operations, the operator does not perform any visual check operation on the switch operation, and can inform the user of the state of the switch operation by the tactile sensation unevenness portion 11 on the outer periphery of the dial member 6 of the first switch 3a and the audio notification. Can be recognized. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1, and then the switch 3
It waits until there is an operation of a, 3b, 3c.

After the operation mode is designated by such an operation, the operator uses the second switch 3b and the third switch 3c to execute a desired operation in each operation mode. At this time, the operator presses the second switch 3b or the third switch 3c with the left thumb, for example, while holding the grip portion 2 of the steering wheel 1 shown in FIG. 1 with both hands, Perform the desired operation. The state of the operation being performed is determined by the switch input unit 13 as a switch input (step S1), and as in the above-described steps S2 to S7, the operation state can be confirmed non-visibly by voice notification.

The result of the push operation by the second switch 3b or the third switch 3c is the switch input unit 13
Are transmitted as operation signals to the various on-vehicle units 21 to 28 through the various on-vehicle units 21 to 2 intended by the operator.
8 is performed.

As described above, the various in-vehicle units 21 to 2 can be viewed without any visual recognition and without the operator who is the driver taking his / her hand off the grip 2 of the steering wheel 1.
8 can be easily operated, so that the driver operates the various switches arranged on the instrument panel or the like in the vehicle cabin as in the related art. This is convenient because there is no need to perform it.

When the operator selects and instructs to change the guidance mode with the first switch 3a, the above-described step S2 is performed.
In step S8, it is determined that the guidance mode has been changed to return to step S1.

As described above, the switches 3a and 3a, which are operated in the vehicle, for the various on-vehicle units 21 to 28 such as the audio device 21 and the car navigation device 22 for reproducing the sound of the compact disk, radio and cassette tape.
By combining the steering wheels 3b and 3c with the steering wheel 1, for example, there is an advantage that the driver can easily operate the vehicle without stopping the vehicle.
There is also an advantage that the cost and the device can be reduced by integrating the 3c into the steering wheel 1.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the switches are arranged near the grip portion of the steering wheel, the driver can hold the steering wheel with both hands while holding the steering wheel. The switch group can be operated with a finger.

At this time, claim 2, claim 5, and claim 6
As described above, the voice processing unit outputs the voice corresponding to the operation state of the switch group through the speaker based on the operation signal output from the switch input unit,
The driver can check the current operation status with a sound without visually recognizing the switch group, and it is not necessary to operate the switch with the visual observation as in the related art, which is convenient.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the tactile sensation identification unevenness for identifying the rotational angle position by the tactile sensation with the finger is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the dial member of the dial switch, the operation is performed. The rotation angle position of the dial member 6 can be easily and non-visually identified only by the touch of the thumb or the like of the user. Therefore, the driver does not need to operate the switch after temporarily stopping the vehicle as in the related art, which is convenient.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the switch group is provided with an easy-to-operate push-button switch, it is easy for the operator to perform an operation without visual recognition. This is convenient because there is no need to visually operate the switch as described above.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, an operation mode is selected by a switch located near one of the grips of a group of switches located near a pair of grips of the steering wheel, Since the operation selected in the operation mode is performed by the switch arranged in the vicinity of the other grip portion, the driver holds the grip portion of the steering wheel with both hands,
There is an advantage that various types of operations can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an in-vehicle operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first switch.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an in-vehicle operation device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the vehicle-mounted operation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering wheel 2 Grip part 3a-3c switch 4 Steering wheel pad 6 Dial member 7 Rotating shaft 8 Bearing slit 11 Tactile identification uneven part 13 Switch input part 15 Electric communication path 21-28 Various in-vehicle units 31 External input controller 32 Switch control Unit 33 bus controller 41 audio processing unit 42 speaker 43 bus controller 44 audio control unit 47 signal conversion unit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Jun Okada 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term in Harness Research Institute, Ltd. 3D030 DB13 DB15 5G052 BB01 JA02 JA07 JB20 JC20

Claims (7)

[Claims] An on-vehicle operating device for operating various on-vehicle units mounted on an automobile, comprising: a switch disposed in a steering wheel pad supporting a grip portion of a steering wheel, near a coupling portion of the grip portion. A vehicle-mounted operation device comprising: a group; and a switch input unit that transmits various operation signals to the various vehicle-mounted units through a predetermined electric communication path based on a signal related to an operation from the switch group. 2. The voice processing device according to claim 1, wherein a voice corresponding to an operation state of the switch group is output through a speaker based on the operation signal output from the switch input unit. The in-vehicle operation device further comprising a unit. 3. The in-vehicle operation device according to claim 1, wherein the switch group changes a rotation angle position of a dial member rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis. At least a dial switch to be operated, on an outer peripheral surface of the dial member of the dial switch,
An in-vehicle operation device, comprising: a tactile sensation identification uneven portion for identifying a rotation angle position by a tactile sensation with a finger. 4. The in-vehicle operation device according to claim 1, wherein the switch group includes at least a push-button switch. 5. The in-vehicle operation device according to claim 2, wherein the voice processing unit can synthesize a voice corresponding to the operation signal based on the operation signal and output the synthesized voice from a speaker. An in-vehicle operation device characterized by being performed. 6. The in-vehicle operation device according to claim 2, wherein the voice processing unit selects at least a scale corresponding to the operation signal based on the operation signal, and selects the scale. An on-vehicle operating device characterized in that it is possible to output a voice from a speaker. 7. The on-vehicle operating device according to claim 1, wherein one of the switches in the group of switches arranged near a pair of the grip portions of the steering wheel. The switch arranged near the grip is used for selecting an operation mode for selecting one of various types of operation, and is arranged near the other grip. The switch is an in-vehicle operation device that is used to execute the operation selected in the operation mode.