JP2002236534A - On-vehicle equipment operation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent safety from being lost by the operation of on-vehicle equipment during a vehicle travel. SOLUTION: When a monitor sensor 2 detects an object being in the image recognition range of a CCD sensor 1, a lighting device 3 lightens up the image recognition range as instructed by an image recognition controller 5 and when the CCD camera 1 recognizes the display shape of a finger of a driver in the image recognition range, the image recognition controller 5 switches a switch device 6 to turn on the switch of the on-vehicle corresponding to the display shape.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for operating on-vehicle equipment such as an audio system, an air conditioner, and a navigation system provided in a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a system for operating on-vehicle equipment such as an audio system, an air conditioner, and a navigation system, a contact type switch and a non-contact type voice recognition device have been conventionally known. When operated by the driver, the driver's gaze may be neglected while the driver checks the function of the operated switch. However, there is a problem that the probability of being able to correctly recognize the operation voice tends to be relatively low due to obstacles such as difficulty in hearing the sound from the driver and the utterance of the driver.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent safety from being impaired by operating an on-vehicle device while a vehicle is running.

[0004]

Therefore, an on-vehicle device operating device according to the present invention comprises a first means for recognizing a display shape of a driver's finger, and a first display shape of the finger recognized by the first means. And a second means for storing in advance a correspondence relationship between the finger and a switch function for each in-vehicle device, and corresponding to the first display shape corresponding to the second display shape of the finger newly recognized by the first means. There is provided a third means for controlling a switch function of the in-vehicle device according to the storage of the second means.

Therefore, when the driver wants to switch the switch function of the on-vehicle device, the second display corresponding to the first display shape stored in advance by the second means stores the correspondence between the on-vehicle device and the switch function. If the shape is newly recognized by the first means, the third means controls the switch function of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the first display shape, and switches the switch of the in-vehicle device as intended by the driver. However, when the first means newly recognizes the second display shape, the driver only has to perform an operation such as holding his / her hand over the first means. There is no need to divert your gaze from the front.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described below. 1 and 2, a CCD camera 1 is installed near a driver's seat such as an instrument panel or a center console of a vehicle, and a pyroelectric sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a reflection type photo sensor, and the like are provided adjacent to the CCD camera 1. A monitoring sensor 2 is provided, a monitoring zone α of the monitoring sensor 2 is set in an image recognition range of the CCD camera 1, and an illumination device 3 that can illuminate the monitoring zone α is provided.

[0007] Signals from the CCD camera 1, the monitoring sensor 2, and the registration switch 4 are sent to the image processing controller 5, respectively. A switching signal is output to a switch device 6 for an in-vehicle device such as an air conditioner and a navigation system.

When the registration switch 4 is turned on, the image processing controller 5 controls the switch device 6 according to the display shape of the driver's finger held over the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1, respectively. Then, which of the in-vehicle devices is to be turned on is initially set.

Next, the operation of the above device will be described in more detail based on the image processing routine of FIG. When the driver's hand or the like is held over the monitoring zone α, the monitoring sensor 2 can detect an object placed in the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1 from its heat rays, shape, and the like. It is checked whether or not any object is detected in the zone α. If no object is detected, step S1 is repeated. If any object is detected, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, based on an instruction from the image processing controller 5 receiving the signal from the monitoring sensor 2, the illuminating device 3 is operated to illuminate the monitoring zone α, and it is checked whether the registration switch 4 is turned on. And
If the registration switch 4 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S3, and the display shape of the driver's finger held over the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1, for example, as shown in FIGS.
If the shapes shown in (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h) are recognized, respectively, the channel A, channel B, and channel C of the in-vehicle audio are sequentially recognized. , Channel D, channel E, in-vehicle navigation system, in-vehicle air conditioner, in-vehicle CD player, etc. automatically turn on each switch. When the image processing controller 5 stores the information, the initial settings of the display shapes are performed, and the process returns to step S1.

If the registration switch 4 is not turned on in step S2, the process proceeds to step S4, where the display shape of the driver's finger held over the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1 is recognized by the CCD camera 1, and the display shape is displayed. The shape is input to the image processing controller 5.

In the next step S5, the display shape recognized by the CCD camera 1 is displayed on the image processing controller 5.
Is checked to see if it matches any of the initially set display shapes stored. If there is no substantial match, the process returns to step S1, but if there is a substantial match, the process proceeds to step S6. In other words, the image processing controller 5 controls the switching of the switch device 6 so that the on-vehicle device corresponding to the substantially identically set display shape or the channel is turned on.

In the case where the on-vehicle device whose switch is currently turned on or its channel is simply turned off, the image is recognized when, for example, the driver holds a fist in the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1. The image processing controller 5 controls the switch device 6 on the basis of the signal from the CCD camera 1 to achieve the purpose.

Therefore, when the driver wants to switch the switch function of the in-vehicle equipment, the driver places his hand over the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1 and determines the correspondence between the switch function and the on-vehicle equipment by the image processing controller. When the CCD camera 1 newly recognizes the finger display shape corresponding to the driver's finger display shape stored in advance by the CCD camera 5, the CC
Image processing controller 5 based on a signal from D camera 1
Can switch the switch device 6 in accordance with the display shape and appropriately switch on the target vehicle-mounted device. In this case, the driver places his or her hand in the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1. , The CCD camera 1 only needs to recognize the display shape of the finger, and the driver does not need to divert his / her line of sight from the front when operating the on-vehicle equipment. There are advantages that can be secured.

Further, when the driver's hand or the like is held over the monitoring zone α of the monitoring sensor 2 and the monitoring sensor 2 detects it, the lighting device 3 automatically operates to illuminate the monitoring zone α. Even when the driver is relatively dark, or at night or in a tunnel, the CCD camera 1 can always reliably recognize the display shape of the driver's finger held over the monitoring zone α. Thus, the reliability of the in-vehicle device operating device can be improved. The illuminating device 3 operates only at night or the like when the illuminance sensor or the like detects that the monitoring zone α of the monitoring sensor 2 is dark, and omits the operation during the daytime when the monitoring zone α of the monitoring sensor 2 is bright. It goes without saying that it is also possible.

When the CCD camera 1 is installed on the center console and an image recognition range is set above the driver, the driver relatively easily and easily holds his / her hand over the image recognition range. And C
Since the background of the driver's hand recognized by the CD camera 1 is the ceiling of the passenger compartment, which is greatly simplified, the recognition performance of the CCD camera 1 can be easily improved.

Alternatively, when the CCD camera 1 is mounted opposite to the handle of the shift lever, and the driver selects the display shape with his finger while holding the handle of the shift lever,
If the CD camera 1 is configured to recognize the display shape, the display position of the driver's finger can be determined at a fixed location, so that the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1 can be easily narrowed. Thus, the recognition characteristics of the CCD camera 1 can be improved from this aspect.

Further, the image processing controller 5 successively learns the display shape of the driver's finger held over the image recognition range of the CCD camera 1, so that the above-mentioned display shape recognition rate can always be kept satisfactorily. It is also possible.

[0019] Further, C that recognizes the display shape of the driver's finger is recognized.
When the image processing controller 5 controls the switching of the switch device 6 in accordance with the display shape based on a signal from the CD camera 1, the content of the control is guided to the passenger compartment by voice as an accessory, that is, for confirmation. Alternatively, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 5 may be installed at an appropriate place in the passenger compartment so that the on-vehicle device whose switch is turned on or the character or picture indicating the channel blinks. Good thing.

[0020]

According to the on-vehicle equipment operating device of the present invention, when the driver wants to switch the switch function of the on-vehicle equipment, the driver performs an operation such as holding his / her hand over the first means. The first means only needs to newly recognize the second display shape, and it is not necessary for the driver to turn his / her own line of sight from the front when controlling the switch for the on-vehicle device, so that the safety of the traveling vehicle can be easily secured. There are features that can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of a main part of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial view of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CCD camera 2 Monitoring sensor 3 Lighting device 4 Registration switch 5 Image processing controller 6 Switching device

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Sumita 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Motors Corporation F-term (reference) 5C022 AA01 AB15 AC42 5L096 AA13 BA04 BA18 CA02 HA07 KA15 LA05

Claims (1)

[Claims] A first means for recognizing a display shape of a driver's finger; and a second means for storing in advance a correspondence between a first display shape of the finger recognized by the first means and a switch function for each vehicle-mounted device. Two means, and the first means corresponding to the second display shape of the finger newly recognized by the first means.
An on-vehicle device operating device having third means for controlling a switch function of the on-vehicle device in accordance with storage of the second means in accordance with a display shape.