JP2007099127A - Communication device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further facilitate information transmission with an occupant, in a communication device for a vehicle carrying out information transmission with the occupant. <P>SOLUTION: A display portion 18 carrying out predetermined indication for communicating with the occupant is provided, and the display portion 18 can be rotated by a rotating portion 55 (a joint portion 22, a base portion 20, and a horizontal rotating motor 54). The movement of the display portion 18 is easily checked as compared with movement in a plane surface displace, so that gazing time can be shortened, or the movement can be checked only by diagonally seeing. There is reality as compared with plane movement, and it becomes easy to talk. Therefore, information transmission with the occupant is further facilitated as compared with a conventional one. The display portion 18 is fixed to an outer cylinder (a fixing portion) 42 fixed to a vehicle, through the rotating portion 55. Consequently, rolling can be prevented even at the time of acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle communication device for transmitting information to and from an occupant.

  Various vehicle communication devices have been proposed for transmitting information to and from a vehicle occupant (for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, the communication with the occupant in the device of Patent Document 1 is to judge whether the driving of the vehicle is appropriate, and when it is determined that the driving is inappropriate, On the contrary, when it is determined that an appropriate driving is being performed, a voice indicating that the player is in good condition is output.

  A vehicle communication device, also called an agent device, is also known. This is because a fictitious person or animal, that is, an agent is displayed on the display mounted on the vehicle, and the agent displayed on the display changes to the state of vehicle-mounted equipment such as an input operation such as voice input of a passenger or a navigation device. Based on this, it moves and talks to the crew.

When an operation is instructed to a vehicle-mounted device such as a navigation device by voice input, it is difficult to determine whether or not the vehicle-mounted device has accepted a voice input operation. Therefore, the voice input operation becomes relatively easy.
JP 2003-237490 A

  As described above, when the agent device is used, the voice input operation for the on-vehicle equipment is relatively easy. However, in order to obtain information on whether or not the voice input is accepted, the occupant needs to use a flat display. It is necessary to watch the agent's movement while watching for a certain amount of time, and it is difficult to obtain information on whether the input operation is accepted intuitively (or instantaneously).

  In addition, information may be voluntarily transmitted from the agent device side to the occupant, such as during route guidance, but in this case as well, when the occupant performs information transmission (that is, voice input operation), It was necessary to watch the movement of the agent by gazing at a flat display for a certain amount of time, and it was difficult to intuitively understand the contents of information from the vehicle-mounted device side.

  For passengers other than the driver, gazing at the flat display for a certain amount of time is not a problem, but it is desirable for the driver to determine the content of information in as short a time as possible. Also, there is a problem that it is difficult for a passenger other than the driver who has a relatively long time to interact with a flat agent.

  The present invention has been made based on this situation, and the object of the present invention is to make it easier to transmit information to and from an occupant in a vehicle communication device that transmits information to and from an occupant. It is to do.

  In order to achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is fixed to a predetermined position in the vehicle that can be visually recognized by an occupant, and a part of the vehicle moves three-dimensionally. It is a communication device.

  In this way, by making a three-dimensional movement, it becomes easier to confirm the movement, so the time to gaze can be shortened, or the movement can be performed only by squinting without gaze. Can be confirmed. Also, since it moves three-dimensionally, it is more realistic than a two-dimensional movement, making it easier to interact. Therefore, information transmission with the occupant becomes easier than the conventional one. In addition, since the communication device is fixed to the vehicle, it does not roll even if the vehicle is accelerated or decelerated.

  Here, the above-mentioned three-dimensional does not include a case where a three-dimensional object is displayed on a plane by projecting the three-dimensional object onto a plane, and does not include a case where a three-dimensional coordinate is actually present, This includes things that can be said to be visually the same as in the case of actually having three-dimensional coordinates, such as an original display.

  The invention described in claim 2 is a case in which actually three-dimensional coordinates are provided. That is, the invention according to claim 2 is fixed at a predetermined position that can be visually recognized by an occupant in the vehicle, an output unit that performs a predetermined output for communicating with the occupant, a fixed unit that is fixed to the vehicle, A vehicular communication device comprising: a rotation unit that connects the output unit to the fixed unit so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed unit.

  In this way, if the output unit is rotated by the rotation unit, the movement of the output unit is easier to confirm than the movement in the flat display, so the time to gaze can be shortened, or Even without gazing, the movement can be confirmed simply by squinting. In addition, there is a sense of reality and it is easier to have a dialogue than one that moves planarly. Therefore, information transmission with the occupant becomes easier than the conventional one. In addition, since the vehicle communication device is fixed to the vehicle at the fixing portion, the vehicle communication device does not roll even if the vehicle is accelerated or decelerated.

  Here, the vehicle communication device is preferably configured such that a storage chamber for storing the fixed portion and the rotating portion and the rotating portion connected to the fixed portion are the storage chamber. The fixed part is moved from the storage position stored in the storage position to the use position where the rotating part is exposed from the storage chamber, and conversely, the fixed part is moved from the use position to the storage position. And a stationary part moving device.

  In this way, when it is not necessary to rotate the output unit, the vehicle interior can be cleaned by storing the rotating unit in the storage chamber by the fixed unit moving device. Moreover, there is also an anti-theft effect by storing the rotating part in the storage chamber.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle communication device according to the second or third aspect, the display device that is exposed to the vehicle compartment in a state where the rotating portion is stored in the storage chamber. It is characterized by having.

  In this way, even in the storage position, a certain function for communicating with the occupant can be executed using the display device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle communication device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the operation determining means for determining the operation of the output unit based on a signal input from outside, Rotating part control means for controlling the turning part to cause the output part to perform the action determined by the action deciding means, and vehicle traveling for determining whether the driver is in a vehicle traveling state that should concentrate on driving operation Further comprising a state determination means,
In the case where it is determined by the vehicle traveling state determination unit that the driver is in a vehicle traveling state in which the driver should concentrate on the driving operation, the turning unit control unit is configured so that the driver operates the vehicle. The rotation unit is controlled so that the operation of the output unit is less than that in the case where it is not determined that the vehicle traveling state should be concentrated on.

  In the vehicle communication device according to claims 2 to 4, since the output unit moves three-dimensionally when the output unit is rotated by the rotation unit, the output unit does not have to be watched as described above. Can also confirm its movement. On the other hand, if the output unit moves, the concentration on driving may be reduced when the driver should concentrate on driving operation. However, as described in claim 5, when it is determined that the driver is in a vehicle running state that should concentrate on driving operation, the output unit moves if the operation of the output unit is reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in concentration on driving.

  Moreover, although the said output part may be provided only with the speaker for outputting an audio | voice, it is preferable that the display is provided in the position which can be visually recognized from a passenger | crew as Claim 6. In this way, various information can be communicated with the occupant by displaying various information on the display.

  Further, when such a display is provided, it is more preferable to set it as in the seventh aspect. According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the vehicle communication device according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the turning portion can turn the output portion to both sides in the vehicle width direction, A plurality of microphones for outputting audio signals corresponding to the detected voice, and occupant direction determining means for determining the direction of the occupant speaking based on the audio signals respectively supplied from the plurality of microphones; When the direction of the occupant speaking is determined by the occupant direction determination unit, the determination unit determines that the display of the output unit is directed in that direction.

  In this way, when the occupant's voice is detected by a plurality of microphones, the direction of the occupant speaking is determined, and the display of the output unit is directed to the direction of the occupant speaking the voice. For the occupant, it feels like a conversation with the vehicle communication device. Therefore, communication between the passenger and the vehicle communication device is facilitated.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the vehicle communication device according to claim 7, wherein the turning portion can turn the output portion to both sides in the vertical direction, and sound supplied from the microphone. A response timing for rotating the output unit in the vertical direction based on the syntax analyzed by the syntax analysis means, further comprising a syntax analysis means for analyzing the spoken syntax based on the signal; Is determined.

  In this way, the output unit moves up and down at the response timing determined by the response timing determining means in addition to the display facing the direction of the occupant speaking, so for the occupant, the utterance It is easier to recognize that the instruction is transmitted to the vehicle communication device.

  In a state where the rotating unit is stored in the storage chamber, the output unit may be completely stored in the storage chamber, or conversely, the output unit may not be stored in the storage chamber at all. However, when the output part can be turned to both sides in the vertical direction as in claim 8, it is configured as in claim 9, and the opening of the storage chamber is opened by the output part at the storage position. It is preferable to close it.

  That is, the invention according to claim 9 is the vehicle communication device according to claim 8, wherein the storage chamber has an opening that opens upward in the vertical direction, and the output part is the storage part that is stored in the storage part. In the storage position stored in the chamber, the display is directed upward in the vertical direction, and the opening of the storage chamber is blocked by the output unit in the storage position.

  Thus, in the storage position, if the opening of the storage chamber is closed by the output unit, it is not necessary to provide a special lid for closing the opening of the storage chamber in the storage position.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the display device has a predetermined normal display color representing a normal state and a predetermined abnormality representing an abnormal state. Instrument state determining means capable of emitting at least two display colors and determining, for each instrument, whether or not a plurality of predetermined instruments of the vehicle are normal based on a plurality of predetermined signals; At least in the state in which the rotating part is stored in the storage chamber, when all the instruments are determined to be normal by the instrument state determining means, the normal display color is displayed on the display device. And a display device control means for displaying the abnormal display color on the display device when it is determined that the at least one meter is abnormal by the instrument state determining means. And butterflies.

  In this way, even when the display device is in the storage position, it is possible to know whether or not all of the plurality of instruments are normal by checking the emission color of the display device. And, only when the emission color of the display device is an abnormal display color, it is only necessary to confirm the specific contents of the abnormality by checking the display part of other on-vehicle equipment. When it can be confirmed that is normal, there is no need to check the display part of other on-vehicle equipment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a use state of a vehicle communication device (hereinafter simply referred to as a communication device) 10 to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication device 10 is disposed on the dashboard 12 of the vehicle between the driver seat and the passenger seat. Further, this vehicle is provided with a navigation device 14, and the communication device 10 functions as an interface device between the navigation device 14 and an occupant. The state of FIG. 1 is a state in which the destination restaurant is on the left side by displaying an arrow on the display 16 in accordance with a signal from the navigation device 14.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the communication device 10. The communication apparatus 10 includes a display unit 18 (corresponding to an output unit) including the display 16 described above, a pedestal unit 20, and a joint unit 22 that connects the pedestal unit 20 and the display unit 18. ing.

  In addition, an annular light emitting unit 24 is disposed around the pedestal unit 20. The light emitting unit 24 functions as a display device and can emit blue as a normal display color and red as an abnormal display color. The light emitting unit 24 is fitted in an annular recess 28 formed in the substrate 26. The substrate 26 is fixed to the dashboard 12.

  On the substrate 26, a speaker 30, a pair of microphones 32, a switch 34 used for instructing storage of the communication device 10, and a 360 degree camera (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera) 36 are also arranged.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration within the dashboard 12 of the communication device 10. Note that the state of the communication device 10 shown in FIG. 3 is a use state.

  A storage chamber 40 is formed in the dashboard 12 by being surrounded by a partition wall 38. The storage chamber 40 is covered on the upper side by the substrate 26, but since the opening portion 41 that connects the storage chamber 40 and the vehicle compartment is formed on the substrate 26, the storage chamber 40 is opened on the upper side. Will be. The opening 41 is closed by the pedestal 20 in the use state shown in FIG.

  The storage chamber 40 accommodates an outer cylinder 42 whose axis is parallel to the vertical direction (vertical direction). The outer cylinder 42 has an opening on the lower side and a lid 42a on the upper side. A plurality of guide protrusions 44 are formed on the lower opening end to protrude outward in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Yes. The guide protrusion 44 is slidably fitted in a guide groove 46 formed in the vertical direction. Further, an inner cylinder 48 whose axial center coincides with the outer cylinder 42 is fitted into the outer cylinder 42 in a sliding contact state with the outer cylinder 42. The lower end of the inner cylinder 48 is fixed to a part of the vehicle.

  The outer cylinder 42 also functions as a rack, and gear teeth are formed on the outer surface of the outer cylinder 42. A pair of pinion gears 50 is arranged so as to mesh with gear teeth formed on the outer surface of the outer cylinder 42. The pinion gear 50 is rotationally driven by a storage motor 60 (see FIG. 6). When the pinion gear 50 is rotationally driven by the storage motor 60, the outer cylinder 42 is moved in the vertical direction.

  At this time, the above-described guide protrusion 44 also functions as a stopper, and the outer protrusion 42 is prevented from moving further upward when the guide protrusion 44 hits the pinion gear 50. Thereby, the outer cylinder 42 is fixed to the vehicle in a non-detachable manner. The outer cylinder 42 corresponds to a fixed portion. A pair of guide rollers 52 that engage with gear teeth provided on the outer surface of the outer cylinder 42 and freely rotate in both directions are provided above the pinion gear 50, and are guided by the guide rollers 52. As a result, when the outer cylinder 42 moves in the vertical direction, the axis is less likely to shake.

  The lid portion 42a formed at the upper end portion of the outer cylinder 42 is in a state of being fitted inside the annular light emitting portion 24 when the communication device 10 shown in FIG. A horizontal rotation motor 54 is fixed to the center of the lid portion 42a. The shaft portion 54 a of the horizontal rotation motor 54 is fixed to the lower surface of the pedestal portion 20.

  When the horizontal rotation motor 54 is rotated, the pedestal portion 20 and the joint portion 22 and the display portion 18 fixed to the pedestal portion 20 are rotated around the axis of the outer cylinder 42 (that is, in the horizontal direction). It can be rotated. The joint portion 22 includes a joint portion motor 62 (see FIG. 6) and a gear (not shown) inside, and the display portion 18 can be rotated in the vertical direction by the joint portion motor 62 and the gear. . Therefore, the display unit 18 can be rotated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The display unit 18 is rotated horizontally and vertically, and the display unit 18 is connected to an outer cylinder (that is, a fixed unit) 42. The joint unit 22 (including the internal motor 62), a pedestal unit 20 and the horizontal rotation motor 54 correspond to the rotation unit 55.

  Further, the outer cylinder 42 corresponding to the fixed part (and the rotating part 55 and the display part 18 connected thereto) includes a pinion gear 50 that drives the outer cylinder 42 in the vertical direction, a storage motor 60 that drives the pinion gear 50, an outer An outer cylinder moving device (that is, a fixed portion moving device) configured by a guide roller 52 that guides the vertical movement of the cylinder 42 and an inner cylinder 48 that is fitted inside the outer cylinder 42 and fixed to the vehicle. 56 makes it possible to move in the vertical direction.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage state of the communication device 10. The joint unit 22 can rotate the display unit 18 to a position where the display 16 faces upward in the vertical direction, and the display 16 is directed upward in the vertical direction in the retracted state.

  In order to move the communication apparatus 10 from the use state shown in FIG. 3 to the storage state shown in FIG. 4, first, the display unit 18 is rotated by the joint unit 22 until the display 16 faces upward in the vertical direction. Next, until the guide projection 44 formed at the lower end of the outer cylinder 42 is positioned at the lowermost end of the guide groove 46 by the outer cylinder moving device 56, the outer cylinder 42 and the rotating unit 55 and the display unit 18 connected thereto are moved. Move down. In this stored state, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotating portion 55 is completely stored in the storage chamber 40. On the other hand, the display unit 18 is only partially stored in the storage chamber 40, and a part of the display unit 18 remains exposed in the passenger compartment.

  The display portion 18 is formed with a ring portion 58 that is parallel to the light emitting portion 24 and the opening 41 of the substrate 26 in the retracted state and substantially abuts against the light emitting portion 24. The ring portion 58 is larger than the opening portion 41 of the substrate 26, and the opening portion 41 is blocked by the ring portion 58 in the retracted state. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the communication device 10 in the retracted state.

  The communication device 10 has an electrical configuration in addition to the mechanical configuration described above. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the communication device 10. 6 can be configured by, for example, a so-called computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and is installed at a predetermined portion in the vehicle.

  In FIG. 6, the signal processing unit 70 captures signals from the microphone 32 and the camera 36 and various sensors and switches mounted on the vehicle so that they can be used in the occupant state estimation unit 72 and the traveling state estimation unit 74. Perform signal processing.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the signal processing unit 70 in detail. The voice recognition unit 71 AD-converts the voice signal from the microphone 32, performs the same processing as that used in a known navigation device based on the signal after the AD conversion, and the passenger speaks Recognize words.

  The syntax analysis unit 72 functions as a syntax analysis unit, analyzes the words recognized by the speech recognition unit 71, and divides the recognized words into syntax units. The intention analysis unit 73 analyzes the meaning for each unit divided by the syntax analysis unit 72, and determines the meaning of the words spoken by the occupant based on the analysis.

  The sound source direction specifying unit 74 functions as an occupant direction determination unit, and specifies the direction of the occupant who spoke by comparing the intensity and phase of audio signals input from the plurality of microphones 32 with each other. The sound source direction specifying unit 74 also specifies a sound source other than the voice, for example, the door opening / closing sound and the direction of the abnormal sound.

  The face recognition unit 75 specifies the occupant's face by processing the signal from the camera 36 using a known face recognition technique. The line-of-sight recognition unit 76 and the expression recognition unit 77 further recognize the sight line direction of the occupant and the expression of the occupant from the occupant's face recognized by the face recognition unit 75 using a known recognition technique.

  The motion recognition unit 78 recognizes the movement of the occupant and other surrounding movements (such as opening and closing of the door) by analyzing the signal from the camera 36 using a known movement recognition technique such as optical flow.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the signal processed by the signal processing unit 70 is supplied to the occupant state estimating unit 80 and the traveling state estimating unit 82. The occupant state estimating unit 80 and the traveling state estimating unit 82 are also supplied with a signal from the navigation device 14 as a main device and a signal from a sensor switch. The signal from the navigation device 14 includes, for example, traffic jam information, travel route classification (whether it is an expressway or a general road), other traffic information, weather information, time information, and the like. Note that these pieces of information may be supplied not from the navigation device 14 but from a wireless communication device capable of connecting to the Internet other than the navigation device 14 or a wireless communication device capable of road-to-vehicle communication.

  Examples of the sensor switch include a vehicle speed sensor, a brake switch, a turn switch, an accelerator opening sensor, an inter-vehicle distance sensor, an obstacle sensor, a pulse wave sensor, a temperature sensor, and a seating sensor. These sensors / switches, navigation device 14 and communication device 10 may be directly connected or may be connected via an in-vehicle LAN.

  The occupant state estimation unit 80 estimates the occupant state based on various signals supplied. For example, based on signals from the sound source direction specifying unit 74 and the line-of-sight recognition unit 76 of the signal processing unit 70, a state in which the occupant talks to the communication device 10, and whether the occupant is a passenger or a driver It is estimated whether it is.

  The traveling state estimation unit 82 estimates the traveling state of the vehicle based on various signals supplied. For example, it is estimated from the information supplied from the navigation device 14 and the vehicle speed signal supplied from the vehicle speed sensor that the vehicle is traveling on a predetermined road (for example, a highway). In addition, based on various supplied signals, it is a driving state that should be concentrated on driving operations set in advance, such as in an intersection, turning right or left, sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, etc. It is also judged whether or not. Therefore, the traveling state estimation unit 82 also functions as a vehicle traveling state determination unit.

  The running state estimation unit 82 also functions as an instrument state determination unit, and the plurality of instruments are determined based on the same criteria as a plurality of predetermined instrument abnormality display units provided on an instrument panel or the like. Whether or not the instrument corresponding to the abnormality display unit is normal is determined for each instrument.

  The motion / output determination unit 84 functions as a motion determination unit and an output determination unit, and the occupant state estimated by the occupant state estimation unit 80, the vehicle travel state estimated by the travel state estimation unit 82, and the navigation device 14 and the operation and output contents of the communication device 10 are determined based on various signals supplied from the sensor switch.

  The functions of the operation / output determining unit 84 as the operation determining means include (1) to (3). (1) Signals input to the operation / output determination unit 84 (occupant state estimated by the occupant state estimation unit 80, vehicle traveling state estimated by the traveling state estimation unit 82, information supplied from the navigation device 14) Based on the signal from the sensor switch, the operation for rotating the communication device 10 in the horizontal direction is determined. For example, when the occupant state estimation unit 80 estimates that the occupant is speaking toward the communication device 10 and whether the occupant who is speaking is a passenger or a driver, the display 16 Determines the action of directing to the direction of the occupant who spoke.

  (2) Based on the signal input to the operation / output determination unit 84, the operation for rotating the display unit 18 in the vertical direction is determined. For example, when the occupant state estimation unit 80 estimates that the occupant is speaking, the display unit 18 is moved in the vertical direction according to the syntax breaks sequentially analyzed by the syntax analysis unit 72 of the signal processing unit 70. The timing for turning (that is, the timing for making a whirling operation) is determined.

  (3) Based on the signal input to the operation / output determination unit 84, the operation for moving the communication device 10 from the storage position to the use position or vice versa is determined. For example, the movement of the communication device 10 is determined when a predetermined switch is operated.

  The operation / output determination unit 84 does not determine that the driving state should be concentrated on the driving operation when the driving state estimation unit 82 determines that the driving state should be concentrated on the driving operation. Even in a situation where the communication device 10 is operated, it is determined that the communication device 10 is not operated.

  Further, the function as the output determining means of the operation / output determining unit 84 includes (4) to (6). (4) Based on the signal input to the operation / output determination unit 84, the sound to be output from the speaker is determined. (5) Based on the signal input to the operation / output determination unit 84, an image to be displayed on the display 16 is determined. (6) Based on a signal input to the operation / output determining unit 84, whether or not the light emitting unit 24 emits light, and when it emits light, its color and light emitting pattern (flashing pattern) are determined. For example, when all the instruments are determined to be normal in the traveling state estimation unit 82, it is determined that the light emitting unit 24 emits light in blue, while at least one instrument is determined to be abnormal. If it is, the light emitting unit 24 is determined to emit red light. Note that the light emitting unit 24 emits light in blue or red as described above regardless of whether the communication device 10 is in the use position or the storage position.

  The output control unit 90 operates the motors 54, 60, and 62 based on the operation / output determined by the operation / output determination unit 84, and also outputs a predetermined amount from the speaker 30, the display 16, and the light emitting unit 24 that are output devices. Output the contents.

  The output control unit 90 includes a speech synthesis unit 92, a display screen generation unit 94, a light emission control unit 96, and a drive control unit 98. The voice synthesis unit 92 performs voice synthesis in order to output the predetermined voice determined by the operation / output determination unit 84 from the speaker 30. The display screen generation unit 94 causes the display 16 to output the image determined by the operation / output determination unit 84. The light emission control unit 96 functions as a light emission unit (that is, display device) control unit, and controls light emission / extinction and light emission color of the light emission unit 24 according to the contents determined by the operation / output determination unit 84.

  In the case of (1), the drive control unit 98 controls the horizontal rotation motor 54 to rotate the communication device 10 in the horizontal direction. In the case of (2), the drive control unit 98 rotates the joint unit motor 62. To control the storage motor 60 and the joint motor 62 to move the communication device 10 from the storage position to the use position or in the case of (3) described above. Move to the opposite.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment described above, the display unit 18 is rotated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the movement of the display unit 18 is easier to confirm than the movement in the flat display. The time for gazing can be shortened, or the movement can be confirmed only by squinting without gazing. In addition, there is a sense of reality and it is easier to have a dialogue than one that moves planarly. Therefore, information transmission with the occupant becomes easier than the conventional one.

  In addition, when it is determined that the driver is in a vehicle running state where the driver should concentrate on driving operation, the display unit 18 is not operated. Decrease is suppressed.

  In addition, since the communication device 10 is fixed to the vehicle, it does not roll even if the vehicle is accelerated or decelerated.

  In addition, the communication device 10 can store the rotation unit 55 in the storage chamber 40. By storing the rotation unit 55 in the storage chamber 40, the vehicle interior can be cleaned and theft can be prevented. You can also Moreover, even when the rotating unit 55 is stored, information can be transmitted to the passenger by the light emission of the light emitting unit 24.

  Further, in the state in which the rotating portion 55 is stored in the storage chamber 40, the ring portion 58 of the display unit 18 blocks the opening 41 of the storage chamber 40, so that the opening 41 of the storage chamber 40 is closed in the storage state. There is no need to provide a special lid for closing.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, The following embodiment is also contained in the technical scope of this invention, and also the summary other than the following is also included. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, when it is determined that the driving state should be concentrated on the driving operation, the communication device 10 is not operated at all. However, the communication device 10 is not operated at all. It may be a little.

  In addition, the communication device 10 described above includes the light emitting unit 24 and the display 16, but the display 16 is always exposed to the passenger compartment as well as the light emitting unit 24 and can emit light. Instead of providing 24, the display 16 may execute the function.

  Further, the communication device 10 described above includes the camera 36 and the speaker 30. However, when another vehicle-mounted device includes a camera or a speaker, the communication device 10 includes the device provided in the other vehicle-mounted device. The communication device 10 may not include a camera or a speaker. Regarding the configuration in the signal processing unit 70, various on-vehicle equipments equipped with them are known, so the communication device 10 does not have to have all the configuration in the signal processing unit 70.

  Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment illustrated the navigation apparatus 14 as a main apparatus which can transmit / receive a signal mutually, the main apparatus is not limited to the navigation apparatus 14, and the communication apparatus 10 can be variously mounted on a vehicle. Signals can also be exchanged with other devices. In addition, signals may be exchanged with devices outside the vehicle via a wireless communication device.

  Further, for example, when other vehicle-mounted equipment such as the navigation device 14 has a function as an agent device, the amount of operation of the communication device 10 is determined in accordance with the agent characteristics and personality of the agent device. It may be changed.

It is a figure which shows the use condition of the communication apparatus 10 to which this invention was applied. 1 is an enlarged view of a communication device 10. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration inside a dashboard 12 of the communication device 10. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage state of the communication device 10. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a communication device 10 in a stored state. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a communication device 10. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating in detail a configuration of a signal processing unit 70. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10: Vehicle communication device 16: Display 18: Display unit (Output unit)
20: Base portion 22: Joint portion 24: Light emitting portion (display device)
32: Microphone 40: Storage chamber 41: Opening 42: Outer cylinder (fixed part)
55: Rotating unit 56: Outer cylinder moving device (fixed portion moving device)
72: Syntax analysis section (syntax analysis means)
74: Sound source direction specifying unit (occupant direction determination means)
82: Traveling state estimation unit (vehicle traveling state determination means, instrument state determination means)
84: Operation / output determination unit (operation determination means)
96: Light emission control unit (display device control means)

Claims (10)

  A vehicle communication device, wherein the vehicle communication device is fixed at a predetermined position in a vehicle visible from an occupant and partly moves three-dimensionally. It is fixed at a predetermined position that can be seen by passengers in the vehicle,
An output unit that performs a predetermined output for communicating with an occupant, a fixed unit that is fixed to the vehicle, and a rotating unit that connects the output unit to the fixed unit so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed unit. A vehicle communication device comprising the vehicle. A storage chamber for storing the fixed portion and the rotating portion;
The rotating portion connected to the fixing portion is moved from the storage position where the rotating portion is stored in the storage chamber to the use position where the rotating portion is exposed from the storage chamber, and vice versa. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: a fixed portion moving device that moves the fixed portion from the use position to the storage position.   4. The vehicle communication device according to claim 2, further comprising a display device exposed to a vehicle compartment in a state where the rotating portion is stored in the storage chamber. 5. Operation determining means for determining the operation of the output unit based on a signal input from the outside;
A rotation unit control unit for controlling the rotation unit to cause the output unit to perform the operation determined by the operation determination unit;
Vehicle traveling state determination means for determining whether the driver is in a vehicle traveling state that should be concentrated on driving operation;
In the case where it is determined by the vehicle traveling state determination unit that the driver is in a vehicle traveling state in which the driver should concentrate on the driving operation, the turning unit control unit is configured so that the driver operates the vehicle. 5. The rotation unit is controlled so that the operation of the output unit is less than in a case where it is not determined that the vehicle traveling state should be concentrated on the vehicle. Vehicle communication device.   The vehicle output device according to claim 5, wherein the output unit is provided with a display at a position that can be visually recognized by a passenger. The rotating unit is capable of rotating the output unit to both sides in the vehicle width direction,
A plurality of microphones for detecting a passenger's voice and outputting an audio signal corresponding to the detected voice;
Further comprising occupant direction determination means for determining the direction of the occupant speaking based on the audio signals respectively supplied from the plurality of microphones;
The operation determining means, when the direction of the occupant speaking is determined by the occupant direction determining means, determines that the display of the output unit is directed in that direction. The vehicle communication device described. The rotating unit is capable of rotating the output unit to both sides in the vertical direction,
Further comprising a syntax analysis means for analyzing the spoken syntax based on the audio signal supplied from the microphone;
The vehicle communication device according to claim 7, wherein the operation determining unit determines a response timing for rotating the output unit in a vertical direction based on a syntax analyzed by the syntax analyzing unit. The storage chamber has an opening that opens upward in the vertical direction,
The output unit is configured such that, in the storage position in which the rotating unit is stored in the storage chamber, the display is directed upward in the vertical direction, and in the storage position, the opening of the storage chamber is formed by the output unit. The vehicle communication device according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle communication device is closed. The display device can emit at least two colors of a predetermined normal display color representing a normal state and a predetermined abnormal display color representing an abnormal state,
Instrument state determining means for determining for each instrument whether or not a plurality of predetermined instruments of the vehicle are normal based on a plurality of predetermined signals;
At least in the state in which the rotating unit is stored in the storage chamber, when all the instruments are determined to be normal by the instrument status determining means, the normal display color is displayed on the display device. And a display device control means for displaying the abnormal display color on the display device when at least one of the meters is determined to be abnormal by the instrument state determining means. Item 10. The vehicle communication device according to any one of Items 3 to 9.

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