JP2004252820A - Image display device and onboard navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to select a selection item on a screen by an input means selected by the user himself/herself without being aware of a display mode. <P>SOLUTION: This image display device is provided with a touch panel 7 arranged on the front face of a liquid crystal display 6 and a remote controller 9 emitting an infrared ray to a light receiving part 10 arranged in a part of the front panel of the liquid crystal display 6 as an input means. A CPU 20 determines whether input is carried out from the touch panel 7 or the remote controller 9, and a touch mode/remote controller mode switching means 21 switches the display screen to a mode matching either input. Switching may be carried out between a voice input mode, which is based on a microphone 13 and a voice recognition device 15, instead of the remote controller 9 and the touch input mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image display device for selecting a required item from an image displayed on a screen such as a liquid crystal display using an input unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, an in-vehicle navigation device, and the like, a necessary item is selected from images displayed on a display by a touch panel arranged in front of a display screen or a remote control using infrared rays. The operation is performed using a remote controller which is an operation device, and a panel switch provided on a panel unit around a display screen. The display screen of the selection items when using the touch panel and the display screen of the selection items when using the remote control are adapted to the respective display modes, for example, in the touch input mode, the selection by the fingertip is made possible. The selection items are made larger (for example, see Patent Document 1), and in the remote control mode, the selection items are made smaller so that many selection items can be displayed. As another device, there is also known a device in which a display screen is always made for a touch input mode, and both selection by touch and selection by a remote controller are possible.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-127596 (page 3, FIG. 8)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional image display device, the display screen of the selection items when the touch panel is used and the display screen of the selection items when the remote control is used are considered in terms of design, size, etc. so as to be suitable for each mode. Although the user does not know which mode is being displayed in spite of being displayed, the user operates the remote controller to select the selection item displayed in the touch input mode with the remote controller, or displays the selected item in the remote control mode. In some cases, the user tries to select a selected item on the touch panel. In such a case, the user may notice the error only after repeating the operation several times, or a beep may be output to notify the user of the wrong operation. It was necessary to switch between the display of the remote control mode and the display of the touch input mode by operating.
[0005]
Also, in the case of a device in which the display screen is prepared for the touch input mode in advance and both selection using the touch panel and the remote control are possible, the displayed selection items are prepared for the touch input mode, so that one screen is displayed. There was a problem that many selection items could not be displayed. Further, in the case of a device in which the display screen is prepared in advance for the remote control mode and both the touch panel and the remote control can be selected, the displayed items are prepared for the remote control input mode, so that the display screen is small for touch operation. There is a problem that it becomes a selection range.
[0006]
The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and uses an image display device capable of switching between a display screen in a touch input mode and a display screen in an external input mode such as a remote controller by a simple operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular navigation device.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an image display device according to the present invention includes a touch input unit and an external input unit, and an image display unit that displays an image on a display screen according to an input from the touch input unit or the external input unit. And control means for determining whether the input is from the touch input means or the input from the external input means, and switches the display screen to a mode corresponding to any of the inputs. Things. With this configuration, the user can select a selection item on the screen using the input unit selected by himself without being conscious of whether the display mode is the touch input mode or the external input mode.
[0008]
The image display device according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means switches the display screen to the external input mode when an input is made from the external input means while displaying an image in the touch input mode. Things. According to this configuration, when the selection operation is performed by the remote controller or the like, the selection operation by the remote controller or the like can be continued as is regardless of whether the display screen is in the touch input mode or the external input mode.
[0009]
Further, the image display device of the present invention is characterized in that the control means switches a display screen to a touch input mode when an input is made from the touch input means while an image is being displayed in an external input mode. Is what you do. With this configuration, when the selection operation is performed using the touch panel or the like, the selection operation using the touch panel can be continued regardless of whether the display screen is in the external input mode or the touch input mode.
[0010]
Further, the image display device according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means switches to a display screen next to the displayed screen when switching the display screen. With this configuration, the user can select necessary items from the next display screen without repeating the operation.
[0011]
Further, the image display device of the present invention is characterized in that selection items displayed on the display screen in the touch input mode are displayed larger than selection items displayed in the external input mode. With this configuration, selection items can be easily selected in the touch input mode, and many selection items can be displayed in the external input mode.
[0012]
Further, the image display device of the present invention is characterized in that the number of selection items displayed on the display screen in the touch input mode is displayed smaller than the number of selection items displayed in the external input mode. . With this configuration, selection items can be selected without error in the touch input mode, and necessary items can be arbitrarily selected from many selection items in the external input mode.
[0013]
The image display device according to the present invention is characterized in that the external input means is a remote control device or a voice input device. With this configuration, any input means such as a remote controller, a panel switch, and a microphone can be used.
[0014]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-vehicle navigation device including the image display device according to any one of the above. With this configuration, it is possible to perform display control of the on-vehicle navigation device without hindering driving.
[0015]
Further, the present invention determines whether the input is from the touch input means or the input from the external input means, and when there is an input from the external input means while displaying an image in the touch input mode, the display screen Is switched to an external input mode, and when there is an input from the touch input unit while an image is being displayed in the external input mode, the display screen is switched to the touch input mode. According to this method, the user can select a selection item on the screen by the input unit selected by himself without being conscious of whether the display mode is the touch input mode or the external input mode.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an on-vehicle navigation device provided with the image display device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a direction sensor 1 uses a three-dimensional gyro, and detects the traveling direction of the own vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 2 generates a vehicle speed pulse corresponding to the number of rotations of wheels of a vehicle equipped with the present device. The various sensors 3 are a reverse switch, a parking switch, a light switch, and the like, and detect a running state of the vehicle. The DVD-ROM 4 stores map data, voice data, voice recognition dictionary data, and the like. The DVD-ROM drive 5 reads map data, voice data, voice recognition dictionary data, and the like from the DVD-ROM 4. The liquid crystal display 6 displays a map, a current vehicle position, an azimuth, an operation menu, and the like, and includes a touch panel 7 on the front surface of the display screen. The GPS receiver 8 calculates the current position (latitude / longitude) of the vehicle by calculating radio waves from a plurality of satellites received by the GPS antenna. The remote control 9 has an operation button for switching between the touch mode and the remote control mode and other operation buttons. The light receiving unit 10 provided on a part of the front panel of the liquid crystal display 6 receives a signal using infrared rays from the remote controller 9. The DVD-ROM drive 5, the liquid crystal display 6, the touch panel 7, the GPS receiver 8, and the like are integrated and arranged on the dashboard of the vehicle, and are connected to the communication interface 22 of the apparatus main body 11 through the in-vehicle LAN 23. The device main body 11 is installed in a trunk room of a vehicle, a center console in the vehicle, or the like.
[0017]
In the apparatus main body 11, the sensor signal processing unit 12 calculates the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the signal from the direction sensor 1, calculates the traveling distance from the vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 2, and further calculates the traveling distance from the various sensors 3. The running state of the vehicle is detected based on the signal, and a signal necessary for control is generated. The microphone 13 is arranged near the driver in the vehicle, and is used for inputting an utterance phrase from the user. The loudspeaker 14 is used to provide a search result, a voice recognition result, voice guidance such as intersection guidance on a traveling route, branch guidance, tollgate guidance, exit guidance, and the like, and to give an instruction on the operation content of the remote controller by voice. The voice recognition device 15 performs voice recognition of words input from the microphone 13. The storage unit 16 includes a ROM for storing programs, a RAM for temporarily storing work data, a VRAM for storing image data, and the like. The image processor 17 performs a display image generation process based on menu data, map data, current position data of the own vehicle, building data, and the like. The display control unit 18 reads out necessary image data from the image processor 17 and passes it to the CPU 20 in the touch mode and the remote control mode. The voice processor 19 converts the voice recognition result into a voice signal, and outputs a search result, voice guidance on a traveling route, and a voice signal representing the content of operation with a remote controller to the speaker 14. The CPU (central processing unit) 20 controls the entire apparatus, determines whether the input is from the touch panel 7 or the input from the remote controller 9, and switches the display image to a mode corresponding to the input. It has a remote control mode switching means 21. The communication interface 22 controls communication between an external device of the DVD-ROM drive 5 and the device main body 11.
[0018]
Next, regarding the operation in the present embodiment, first, the basic operation of the navigation device will be described. In FIG. 1, when the engine of the vehicle is started, the power of the apparatus is turned on, a menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6, the CPU 20 activates a current position detection program, and the position information from the GPS receiver 8 is transmitted. Then, an accurate current position of the own vehicle is calculated based on data obtained by processing signals from the direction sensor 1 and the vehicle speed sensor 2 by the sensor signal processing unit 12. Based on the vehicle position information, the CPU 20 reads the corresponding map data from the DVD-ROM 4 through the DVD-ROM drive 5, converts the map data into image data by the image processor 17, temporarily stores the image data in the VRAM of the storage unit 16, The signal is converted into a signal and displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 6 through the communication interface 22 together with the vehicle position. When an address name such as a destination is input through the microphone 13, the address name is recognized by the voice recognition function of the voice recognition device 15, and the destination is set. When the destination is set, the CPU 20 activates a route search program, calculates an optimal guide route from the current position of the vehicle to the set destination, and superimposes the route on the map displayed on the liquid crystal display 6. To display. When the user advances the vehicle along the guidance route displayed on the liquid crystal display 6, the CPU 20 moves the map displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 to the traveling direction based on the current position information and the road network data on the map data. The position of the own vehicle mark is sequentially updated while scrolling sequentially. When the vehicle approaches a branch point or the like in the guidance route, the voice guidance added to the map data is output from the speaker 14.
[0019]
Next, the switching operation between the touch mode and the remote control mode in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the apparatus is activated and a menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 (step S1). In the present embodiment, the display mode of the menu screen is initially set to the touch mode. When the user touches a selection item with a finger while looking at the display screen, CPU 20 determines whether the input signal is from touch panel 7 or an input signal from remote controller 9 (step S2). If it is determined, it is determined whether the current display mode is the touch mode or the remote control mode (step S3). Here, since the touch mode is set, the CPU 20 determines that the touch mode is selected, and instructs the display control unit 18 to send the next screen data corresponding to the selection item specified by the user to the liquid crystal display 6. (Step S8). If the current display mode is the remote control mode, the touch mode / remote control mode switching means 21 switches the display mode to the touch mode (step S4), and the display control unit 18 makes the selection in the touch mode designated by the user. The next screen data corresponding to the item is sent to the liquid crystal display 6 and displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 6 (step S8).
[0020]
When the user operates the remote controller 9 to select a selection item on the screen on the menu screen displayed in the touch mode (step S5), the CPU 20 identifies the selection item and sets the display mode at that time to the touch mode. In the case of (step S6), the display mode is switched to the remote control mode (step S7), and the display control unit 18 sends the next screen data corresponding to the selection item designated by the user in the remote control mode to the liquid crystal display 6, and It is displayed on the screen of the display 6 (step S8). Then, the above processing is repeated until the selection of necessary selection items is completed (step S9).
[0021]
FIG. 3 shows a transition example of the display screen in the present embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a screen next to the menu screen in the touch mode. When the user touches “Destination” from the selection items of “Destination”, “Information” and “Setting” on the menu screen with a finger, “Return to home” is performed. Four selection items of “decide by map”, “decide by address”, and “decide by genre” are displayed. Subsequently, when the selection button of “next” is touched, the remaining selection items in “destination”, “decide by registration point”, “decide by name”, and “decide by TEL” are displayed as shown in FIG. . As described above, the display screen in the touch mode has a large display frame and a large display character due to the restriction by touching with a finger, and is easy to see, but the number of selection items that can be displayed on the screen at one time is small. On the other hand, FIG. 3C shows a screen in which “Destination” on the menu screen is selected by the remote controller, and seven selection items from “Return to home” to “Determine by TEL” are displayed on the screen at once. Is displayed. For this reason, the display frame and the display characters are made small, and the number of selection items that can be displayed on the screen at one time is increasing. When "decide by genre" is selected from such a screen with the remote control, genre items such as "public", "transport", "culture", "play / night", "shopping", and "spot" are displayed as shown in FIG. Category items in each genre item, such as "park" and "JAF" for public facilities, and "station", "intersection", and "airport" for transportation facilities are displayed in the remote control mode. From this screen, a genre item and a category item are selected with the joystick / execute button using the remote control. On the other hand, when "decide by genre" is selected with a finger on the screen of FIG. 3A, a genre item is displayed first, and when a genre item is selected with a finger, the category item is displayed on the next screen.
[0022]
When an input is made with an input device different from the display mode currently displayed, the display screen is switched to the next screen. For example, in a state where the screen of FIG. 3A is displayed in the touch mode, if “determine by genre” is selected with the remote control, the screen transits to the screen of FIG. 3D. When the screen of FIG. 3C is displayed in the remote control mode and the user touches “information” or “setting” with a finger, a screen of each category item is displayed. As described above, when the screen is switched, by displaying the next screen, it is not necessary to repeat the operation, so that the operability is improved.
[0023]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, as input means, the touch panel 7 provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal display 6 and the remote controller for emitting infrared light to the light receiving unit 10 provided on a part of the front panel of the liquid crystal display 6 9, the CPU 20 determines whether the input is from the touch panel 7 or the input from the remote controller 9, and the touch mode / remote control mode switching means 21 switches the display screen to a mode corresponding to any of the inputs. The user can switch between the touch mode display screen and the remote control mode display screen by operation, and the user can select a selection item on the screen by the input means selected by himself without being conscious of what the display mode is. Can be.
[0024]
In the above-described embodiment, the remote controller 9 has been described as an example of the external input unit. However, when there is a voice input from the microphone 13, the touch mode may be switched to the voice input mode. When a touch on the touch panel 7 is detected in the input mode, the mode may be switched to the touch mode.
[0025]
Further, in the above embodiment, when a selection item is selected by input means different from the current display mode, the next display screen is displayed in the display mode corresponding to the input. Instead of the screen, a screen at the same stage in the switched display mode may be displayed, or a screen at a previous stage or a first menu screen may be displayed again.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the image display device and the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention determine whether the input is from the touch input unit or the input from the external input unit, and perform the external input while displaying the image in the touch input mode. When there is an input from the means, the display screen is switched to the external input mode, and when there is an input from the touch input means while an image is displayed in the external input mode, the display screen is switched to the touch input mode. As a result, the user can select a selection item on the screen by the input means selected by himself without being conscious of what the display mode is, improving operability and displaying the selection item on the screen. Can be effectively performed using a size and a design suitable for each display mode.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle navigation device provided with an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a display screen switching process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram showing an example of screen transition at the time of display screen switching according to the embodiment of the present invention.
1 direction sensor 2 vehicle speed sensor 3 various sensors 4 DVD-ROM
Reference Signs List 5 DVD-ROM drive 6 Liquid crystal display 7 Touch panel 8 GPS receiver 9 Remote controller 10 Light receiving unit 11 Device body 12 Sensor signal processing unit 13 Microphone 14 Speaker 15 Voice recognition device 16 Storage unit 17 Image processor 18 Display control unit 19 Voice processor 20 CPU
21 touch mode / remote control mode switching means 22 communication interface 23 in-vehicle LAN

Claims (9)

Touch input means and external input means, image display means for displaying an image on a display screen in response to input from the touch input means or the external input means, input from the touch input means or from the external input means An image display device comprising: a control unit configured to determine whether the input is an input or to switch the display screen to a mode corresponding to any of the inputs. 2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches a display screen to the external input mode when an input is made from the external input unit while displaying an image in the touch input mode. 3. The image according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches a display screen to a touch input mode when an input is made from the touch input unit while an image is being displayed in the external input mode. Display device. 4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein when switching the display screen, the control unit switches to a display screen next to the displayed screen. 5. 5. The image display according to claim 1, wherein the selection items displayed on the display screen in the touch input mode are displayed larger than the selection items displayed in the external input mode. 6. apparatus. The number of selection items displayed on the display screen in the touch input mode is displayed smaller than the number of selection items displayed in the external input mode. Image display device. 7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the external input unit is a remote control device or a voice input device. An in-vehicle navigation device comprising the image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Determine whether the input is from the touch input means or the input from the external input means, and if an input is made from the external input means while displaying an image in the touch input mode, the display screen is switched to the external input mode. An image display method for switching a display screen to a touch input mode when an input is made from the touch input unit while an image is being displayed in an external input mode.

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