JP2001356874A - Touch operation inputting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch operation inputting device capable of arranging escutcheon switches in the near outer peripheral part of a touch panel. SOLUTION: The part of an outer casing 26A corresponding to each side of an input pad 16 is constituted as an escutcheon switch 18, and the part of the outer casing 26A corresponding to each escutcheon switch 18 is provided with slits at the four corners so as to be independently depressed as the escutcheon switch 18. Also, a compression coil spring 24 is formed on a printed wiring board 30 at the lower part of the position corresponding to the escutcheon switch 18 of the outer casing 26A so that the escutcheon switch 18 can be energized by the compressing coil spring 24. Then, the optical axis based on an optical sensor unit of a line which is impossible in a touch operation can be shielded by the depressing operation of each escutcheon switch 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a touch operation input device, and more particularly to a touch operation input device used for a remote controller of a navigation system or the like mounted on an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been an increasing number of display devices having a touch operation function, such as a navigation system mounted on an automobile. As an example of this type of display device, a touch position on a display screen is detected by an optical sensor.

Specifically, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are arranged so as to form a plurality of parallel optical axes corresponding to a vertical direction and a horizontal direction of a display screen, and the display screen is touched with a finger. It is configured to detect the center position of the touch area based on the interruption of the optical axis from the light emitting element to the light receiving element and output the coordinate data thereof.

Further, there is a touch operation input device in which a display unit and a touch operation unit are separated and arranged at a place where the touch operation unit can be easily operated. The configuration of the touch operation input device is the same as that described above. Has become. Such a touch operation input device can provide a convenient operation by arranging the touch operation unit in a place where it is easy to operate in the vehicle, or by operating it by hand.

[0005] As a configuration of such a touch operation input device, a touch panel of the touch operation input device is arranged at an easily operable position, and a display switch or the like displayed on a display can be selected by operating the touch panel. It has been.

In addition, the conventional touch operation input device can trace the touch panel in a locus that draws a circle with the base of the thumb as a fulcrum when held by hand. I have. Escution switches such as a detail / wide area button, a back button, and a current location button are arranged at peripheral positions of the touch panel.

[0007]

However, in the conventional touch operation input device, it is preferable that switch operations such as an escutcheon switch arranged around the touch panel can be operated with the thumb as a fulcrum, similarly to the touch panel. In addition, since the optical sensor unit including the phototransistor and the like is arranged to face the periphery of the touch panel, there is a problem that it is difficult to arrange the optical sensor unit near the touch panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and has as its object to provide a touch operation input device capable of disposing an escutcheon switch on an outer peripheral portion near a touch panel.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device for displaying a plurality of operation function items, the plurality of operation function items being selected and input by a touch operation. An operation unit having a touch panel, a plurality of detection means including a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and detecting a touch operation position on the touch panel, and a touch operation input device comprising: Among the optical axes, a light-shielding unit that shields the optical axis in a state that cannot be touched, and a detection result of the detection unit that is obtained by being shielded by the light-shielding unit as a signal of a predetermined function switch. And control means for performing control for executing a predetermined function based on the control information.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the touch operation position is detected by the plurality of detection means by operating the touch panel of the operation unit. For example, when a plurality of detection means are arranged in a matrix of vertical and horizontal directions, the touch operation blocks the optical axis of each of the vertical and horizontal detection means, and the touch operation is performed based on the detection result of the light-blocked detection means. The position is detected.

[0011] When the light shielding unit blocks the optical axis that cannot be touched among the optical axes detected by the plurality of detecting units, the control unit generates a signal of a predetermined function switch based on the signal. A predetermined function is executed. As described above, by blocking the optical axis that cannot be performed by the touch operation with the light blocking unit, the light blocking of the optical axis of the detection unit by the touch operation or the blocking of the optical axis by the light blocking unit is performed based on the detection result of the detection unit. Can be determined by the control means, and the light shielding means can be used as an escutcheon switch for executing a predetermined function.

Further, the light shielding means can be arranged close to the detecting means for shielding the optical axis by the detecting means.
Therefore, it is possible to arrange the light shielding means as an escutcheon switch near the touch panel.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a touch operation input device capable of disposing the escutcheon switch on the outer peripheral portion near the touch panel.

Further, by using the light-shielding detection by a plurality of detecting means as an escutcheon switch, it is not necessary to provide a switch dedicated to the escutcheon switch, and the device itself can be reduced in weight and size.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the light shielding means detects at least one of the plurality of detecting means as an optical axis that cannot be touched. The optical axis is blocked by the means.

According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1
In the invention described in the above, the light-shielding means is used as an escutcheon switch by blocking the optical axis of at least one of the plurality of detection means as an optical axis in a state that cannot be a touch operation. Becomes possible.

For example, in the case where the touch operation position is detected by both the vertical and horizontal detecting means in the case of the touch operation in the case of being arranged in a vertical and horizontal matrix as described above, one vertical or horizontal detecting means is provided. Is shielded by the light shielding means, so that the optical axis that cannot be touched can be shielded. A state in which a touch operation cannot be similarly performed by blocking light of at least one or more of the plurality of detection units arranged vertically or at least one of the plurality of detection units arranged horizontally. Optical axis can be shielded.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the light-shielding means presses an outer frame of the touch operation input device corresponding to a periphery of the touch panel. Accordingly, the outer frame is deformed to shield the optical axis by the detection means.

According to the invention of claim 3, according to claim 1,
Alternatively, in the invention according to claim 2, the light shielding means is configured to deform the outer frame by pressing the outer frame of the touch operation input device corresponding to the periphery of the touch panel to shield the optical axis by the detecting means. By doing so, it is possible to arrange the light shielding means as an escutcheon switch near the touch panel.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a display system for a vehicle.

FIG. 1 shows a display system 10 for a vehicle.
1 shows the overall configuration of FIG. The display system 10 for a vehicle is used to operate auxiliary equipment attached to a vehicle such as an air conditioner, an audio system, and a navigation system.
4 (hereinafter referred to as a touch tracer).

The display 12 is disposed at the center of the instrument panel, which can be easily viewed by the driver and the passenger, and displays the operation status of the air conditioner, the audio, the guidance map screen of the navigation system, and the like. A predetermined screen is displayed according to operation input information from the touch tracer 14.

The touch tracer 14 can be arranged at a place where the driver can easily operate it, for example, at an armrest of a driver's seat door, a center console, or the like. It is used to operate ancillary equipment such as a computer system. Note that the touch tracer 14 can also be operated by holding it with a hand.

As shown in the front view of the touch tracer in FIG. 2, an input pad 16 is disposed at the center of the touch tracer 14, and various positions are provided around the input pad 16 (outer peripheral portion). An escutcheon switch 18 for operating the above function is arranged. These escutcheon switches 18 operate a function of the navigation system, and are provided with a current location button 18A, a return button 18B, a detail button 18C, and a wide area button 18D. Further, the touch tracer 14 is provided with a NAVI / TV (navigation and television switching) switch 20 and a power switch 22.

Next, the internal structure of the touch tracer 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a part of the touch tracer 14 cut away, and FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view showing a part of the touch tracer 14 cut away.

The touch tracer 14 is composed of outer casings 26A and 26B whose outer frame is divided into two parts. A printed wiring board 28 is disposed on the outer casing 26B serving as a bottom surface of the touch tracer 14, and a printed wiring board is provided above the printed wiring board 28. A substrate 30 is arranged. A compression coil spring 32 is disposed on the printed wiring board 28. The compression coil spring 32 is disposed so as to be inserted around the operation determination switch 34, and the input pad 16 is
It is biased in the direction of arrow M. The operation determination switch 34 is a switch for determining the position of the touch pad operated by the input pad 16.
By pressing every six, the switch of the operation determination switch 34 is turned on.

The outer casing 26A is provided with a member 27 having a substantially T-shaped cross section to suppress the outer periphery of the input pad 16 against the bias of the compression coil spring 32. A substantially T-shaped member 27
Is used as a fulcrum of the input pad 16 when the operation determination switch 34 is turned on by pressing an arbitrary position of the input pad 16.

On the printed wiring board 30, an optical sensor unit is mounted. In this optical sensor unit, a plurality of LEDs 36 and a phototransistor 38 are arranged, and the LEDs 36 and the phototransistors 38 are arranged so as to face each other such that an optical axis is formed in parallel. The LED 36 and the phototransistor 38 are connected to the printed wiring board 30. The LED 36 and the phototransistor 38 are connected to the adjacent LED 3
6 or a light shielding member 4 for shielding light from the phototransistor 38
LED3 which is configured to be covered by
6 and the light required for the phototransistor 38 are shielded by the light shielding member 40.

An operation switch 42 corresponding to the above-described NAVI / TV switch 20 and power switch 22 is mounted on the printed wiring board 30. According to the operation of each switch, the corresponding operation switch is operated. 4
2 are arranged to be turned on.

By the way, around the input pad 16 in the touch tracer 14 of the present embodiment, a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) escussion switches 18 (in the present embodiment, a current position button 18A, a return button 18)
B, a detail button 18C, and a wide area button 18D).
Is detected as ON / OFF of the escutcheon switch 18 by using light-shielding detection for detecting light-shielding of the optical axis by the optical sensor unit including the LED 36 and the phototransistor 38 described above.

As shown in FIG. 4, the escutcheon switch 18 comprises an outer casing 26A corresponding to each side of the input pad 16, and a portion of the outer casing 26A corresponding to each escutcheon switch 18 is provided by an escutcheon switch 18A. 4 are provided with slits 26C (see FIG. 3) at four corners so that they can be independently pressed in the direction of arrow N in FIG. A compression coil spring 24 is provided on the printed wiring board 30 below a position corresponding to the escutcheon switch 18 of the outer casing 26A.
4 shows an escutcheon switch 1 in the direction of arrow P in FIG.
8 is pressed against the pressing operation.

Further, when each escutcheon switch 18 is pressed in the direction of arrow N in FIG. 4, the light sensor unit is shielded from light as described above.
At this time, each of the escutcheon switches 18 is configured to block the optical axis of the line that cannot be touched by the optical sensor unit.

In the present embodiment, by pressing the escutcheon switch 18 corresponding to the current position button 18A as the optical axis of the optical sensor unit of the line that cannot be touched, the light corresponding to 1 shown in FIG. When the sensor unit is shielded from light and the escutcheon switch 18 corresponding to the return button 18B is pressed, FIG.
The light sensor unit corresponding to 2 shown in FIG. 5 is shielded, and by pressing the escutcheon switch 18 corresponding to the wide area button 18D, the light sensor unit corresponding to 4 and 6 shown in FIG. By pressing the corresponding escutcheon switch 18, the optical sensor units corresponding to 5 and 7 shown in FIG. 5 are shielded from light.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the display system 10. As shown in FIG. The display system 10 includes an LED 36 disposed on the touch tracer 14,
The phototransistor 38, the operation determination switch 34, and the operation switch 42 correspond to the touch tracer controller 44.
And the touch tracer controller 4
The display unit 12 is connected to the control unit 46 for controlling auxiliary equipment such as an air conditioner, an audio system, and a navigation system. Also, the display 12 includes:
It is connected so that a signal from the control unit 46 is input.

The touch tracer controller 44 includes a CP
A microcomputer including peripheral devices such as U48, ROM 50, RAM 52, etc.
The operation position coordinates of the input pad 16 are calculated based on a signal input from the optical sensor unit including the phototransistor 38, and when any of the above-described escutcheon switches 18 is pressed, the operated escutcheon switch is operated. The function of the navigation system corresponding to the switch 18 is executed. The touch tracer 14
The position coordinates touched by a finger on the input pad 16 of
The vertical and horizontal optical sensor units are calculated based on the light-shielded line, and the calculated position coordinates are used as touch positions on the input pad 16.

The touch tracer controller 44
Converts the calculated position coordinates touched by the finger into position coordinates corresponding to the display on the display 12 and outputs the position coordinates to the display 12. The display 12 displays a position on the touch designation screen with a finger on the screen based on the position coordinates output from the touch tracer controller 44. The position display on the screen is displayed by inverting the color of a selection item (a display switch or the like displayed on the screen).

Here, when the operation determination switch 34 is pressed while the selection item is determined by the input pad 16, the operation determination switch 3 is transmitted to the touch tracer controller 44.
4 is output and the touch tracer controller 44
Outputs a signal for displaying the selected item on the display 12 to the control unit 46.

The control unit 46 outputs to the display 12 information for switching to a screen according to the selected item, so that the screen displayed on the display 12 is switched to the screen of the selected item. When the escutcheon switch 18 is pressed, the control unit 46 displays a mode screen corresponding to the pressed escutcheon switch 18 on the display 12 screen.
Is controlled by

Next, the operation of the display system 10 configured as described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the ignition switch is turned on and the power is turned on, the navigation system operates as an initial function and the light provided on the touch tracer 14 is turned on. The power of the sensor unit is turned on and the sensor unit enters a detection standby state.

On the display 12 screen, a map screen of the navigation system is displayed as an initial screen.

Here, a case where the scale of the map screen of the navigation system is changed as an example by operating the escutcheon switch 18 will be described. The scale of the map screen of the navigation system can be freely changed by pressing an escutcheon switch 18 provided on the outer periphery of the input pad 16.

For example, when the scale of the map screen is to be widened, when the escutcheon switch 18 corresponding to the wide area is pressed, the optical sensor units corresponding to 4 and 5 shown in FIG. The signal is output to the touch tracer controller 44 as a signal representing a wide area. Then, the touch tracer controller 44 determines whether the operation is a touch operation or an operation of the escutcheon switch 18 based on a signal output from the optical sensor unit. The determination at this time is performed by determining whether or not the light-shielded line of the optical sensor unit can be a touch operation.

Here, as described above, in the present embodiment, when the light sensor unit is shielded by the escutcheon switch 18, the touch operation is impossible because the line of the optical sensor unit that cannot be touched is shielded. Or the operation of the escutcheon switch 18 can be easily determined.

Further, since the lines of the optical sensor units shielded by the respective escutche switches 18 are different from each other, the current position button 18
A, it is possible to determine which of the escutche switches 18 of the return button 18B, the detail button 18C and the wide area button 18D has been pressed. In this case (when the wide area button 18D is operated), the light sensor units indicated by 4 and 5 in FIG. 5 are shielded from light, and the touch tracer controller 44 presses the wide area button 18D based on the light shielding signal. An operation is determined.

Then, the touch tracer controller 44
A signal for widening the map screen of the navigation system is output to the control unit 46, and a signal representing the widened map screen is output to the display 12 by the control unit 46, so that the map screen of the navigation system is widened. Be changed.

Similarly, when another escutcheon switch 18 provided around the input pad 16 is pressed, the corresponding navigation system function is executed.

As described above, by using the optical sensor unit composed of the LED 36 and the phototransistor 38 provided for detecting the touch operation position, the light shielding that cannot be performed by the touch operation is performed.
An escutcheon switch 18 can be arranged on the outer periphery near 6.

Further, since it is not necessary to provide the escutcheon switch 18 exclusively on the printed wiring board 30 or the like,
The touch tracer 14 can be reduced in weight and size.

Note that the number of escutcheon switches that can be arranged on the outer periphery of the input pad 16 depends on the number of bits of the number of elements. In the case of the above embodiment, up to seven in the horizontal direction and up to fifteen in the vertical direction can be arranged.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the escutcheon switch 18 as a light shielding member is provided with a member 54 for pressing the input pad 16 when pressed, whereby the operation decision switch 34 is pressed. It may be possible to give a sense of operation. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the member 54 for pressing the input pad 16 of the escutcheon switch 18 is arranged at a position where the light sensor unit is not shielded from light. Here, the member 54 for pressing the input pad 16 of the escutcheon switch 18 may be formed as the shape of the escutcheon switch 18 or may be configured to attach another member.

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to using the touch operation position detecting means, a light shielding means capable of shielding light that cannot be performed by a touch operation is provided, and the light shielding means is an escutcheon switch. Thus, there is an effect that an escutcheon switch can be arranged on the outer peripheral portion near the input pad 16.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a display system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a touch tracer.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a part of the touch tracer cut away.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a part of the touch tracer cut away.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an arrangement relationship between an LED and a phototransistor.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the display system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another configuration of the escutcheon switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Touch operation input device 12 Display 14 Touch tracer 16 Input pad 18 Escussion switch 26A Outer casing 26C Slit 34 Operation determination switch 36 LED 38 Phototransistor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masato Nishikawa 3-260 Toyota, Oguchi-cho, Niwa-gun, Aichi Prefecture Inside Tokai Rika Electric Works, Ltd. Address F-term in Tokai Rika Electric Works, Ltd. (reference)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An operation unit comprising a touch panel for selecting and inputting the plurality of operation function items by a touch operation on a display unit on which a plurality of operation function items are displayed; A plurality of detection means for detecting a touch operation position of the touch operation input device, wherein, of the optical axes of the plurality of detection means, a light shielding means for shielding an optical axis in a state that cannot be a touch operation And a control means for controlling a detection result of the detection means obtained by being shielded by the light shielding means to a signal of a predetermined function switch, and performing a predetermined function based on the signal. Operation input device. 2. The light shielding unit according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding unit shields an optical axis of at least one of the plurality of detection units as an optical axis in a state where the touch operation is impossible. 13. The touch operation input device according to claim 1. 3. The light-shielding means performs a pressing operation on an outer frame of the touch operation input device corresponding to a periphery of the touch panel, whereby the outer frame is deformed to shield the optical axis by the detecting means. The touch operation input device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein