JP2010083203A - System and program for controlling on-vehicle instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that whether an operator is a driver or an occupant other than the driver has not been detected with high reliability when the operational input of an on-vehicle information instrument is allowed depending on a condition even during travelling. <P>SOLUTION: When it is detected that a vehicle is travelling, the display of a touch panel is switched, and the propriety of the operational input is switched at least partially corresponding to the human body communication result between a human body communication receiving part and a human body communication transmitting part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device control system and a program for controlling an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle such as a car navigation device for a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in-vehicle information devices such as car navigation systems, various safety measures have been taken in order to avoid the danger of a driver gazing while driving. For example, various products are commercially available that are limited to simple operation inputs while the vehicle is running.

  The vehicle further comprises a face direction determining means for determining whether the face of the driver of the vehicle faces the front or the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the driver's face faces the front or the traveling direction of the vehicle during traveling. There is a device that allows an on-vehicle device to be operated or display information to be viewed only while it is determined that the device is present (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, pressure-sensitive sensors are installed in the passenger seat and the backrest of the passenger seat to detect that a person is seated when a pressure higher than a predetermined level is applied. Some devices allow the vehicle-mounted device to be operated only when pressure is not detected at the passenger seat backrest (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

In addition, the contact direction is estimated from the amount of change in physical quantity when the finger touches the touch panel, and when it is determined that the operation is performed by an occupant other than the driver from the estimated contact direction during driving, There is one that executes a function (for example, see Patent Document 3).
JP 2007-62503 A JP 2007-38938 A JP 2008-8642 A

  However, when an occupant other than the driver is on the vehicle, if the operation input to the in-vehicle information device is restricted while the vehicle is traveling, the occupant other than the driver who is not related to the safety of driving the vehicle also There is a problem that operation input is limited and inconvenient.

  Moreover, the thing of the patent document 1 mentioned above is determining whether the driver | operator's face has faced the front or the advancing direction of a vehicle, and is moving only eyes and operating vehicle-mounted information equipment? It has not been taken into consideration to detect who is operating the in-vehicle information device.

  The above-mentioned Patent Document 2 estimates the occupant's posture using a pressure-sensitive sensor, but there are also personal habits in how to sit and lean on the backrest, and operating the in-vehicle information device. It wasn't even considered to detect who was there.

  Moreover, although the thing of the patent document 3 mentioned above estimates a contact direction from the contact of the finger | toe to a touch panel, there is also a personal habit etc. in the touch method of the finger | toe to a touch panel, and each user's intention is each There is a possibility that the finger can be moved from the direction, and there is room for improvement in the reliability of detection for detecting who is operating the in-vehicle information device.

  It is important for ensuring the safety of driving to prevent the driver from paying attention to the in-vehicle information device while driving. For this reason, when operation input of in-vehicle information equipment is possible depending on conditions even while traveling, it is desirable to be able to detect with high reliability whether an occupant other than the driver is operating.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and it is possible to detect with high reliability whether or not an occupant other than the driver is operating, and while ensuring the safety of driving, driving It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle device control system and a program that do not impair convenience even while traveling for passengers other than passengers.

  In order to achieve this object, an in-vehicle device control system according to the present invention includes a human body communication transmitting unit that transmits data using an electric field formed by the human body, and the human body communication transmitting unit via the electric field. Human body communication receiving means for receiving data, traveling detection means for detecting whether or not the vehicle is traveling, operation input means for receiving operation inputs, and the vehicle being traveled by the traveling detection means And switching control means for switching at least partly whether or not the operation input from the operation input means is possible according to the reception result by the human body communication receiving means.

  The vehicle-mounted device control program according to the present invention includes a human body communication transmitting unit that transmits data using an electric field formed by a human body, and a human body communication that receives data from the human body communication transmitting unit via the electric field. A vehicle-mounted device control program for a system comprising a receiving means and an operation input means for receiving an operation input, a travel detection process for detecting whether or not the vehicle is traveling, and the vehicle by the travel detection process When it is detected that the vehicle is traveling, the computer is caused to execute a switching control process for switching at least partly whether or not the operation input from the operation input unit is possible according to the reception result by the human body communication reception unit. It is characterized by that.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect with high reliability whether or not an occupant other than the driver is operating. For this reason, while ensuring the safety of driving, it is possible to prevent the passengers other than the driver from losing convenience even while traveling.

  Next, an embodiment in which an in-vehicle device control system and a program according to the present invention are applied to a system including an in-vehicle information device such as a car navigation device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  This embodiment applies human body communication technology using an electric field formed by the human body as a communication medium, and whether or not human body communication is performed between the transmission unit of the passenger seat and the reception unit of the car navigation unit. Thus, it is reliably detected whether or not the operation is performed by a passenger in the passenger seat. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver from operating the in-vehicle information device while traveling, and at the same time provide the convenience that the passenger in the passenger seat can normally operate the vehicle while traveling.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device control system according to the present embodiment is configured by connecting a human body communication transmitting unit 2 to a in-vehicle information device 1 via a cable 3. The in-vehicle information device 1 is connected to a vehicle control system and can receive travel detection information for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling.

  If the travel detection information received from the vehicle is information that can detect whether or not the vehicle is traveling, vehicle specifications such as whether or not the side brake is applied and whether or not the tire is rotating are included. It may be various information according to the above.

  The in-vehicle information device 1 includes a human body communication receiving unit 11 for performing human body communication with the human body communication transmitting unit 2, an operation input unit 12 for receiving an operation input from a user, and a control unit 14 for controlling the entire device. And a travel detection unit 15 that detects whether the vehicle is traveling based on the travel detection information described above.

The operation input unit 12 includes at least a touch panel 13. Moreover, the structure provided with another operation button etc. may be sufficient.
The control unit 14 also performs display control of the touch panel 13 and the like. When the travel detection unit 15 detects that the vehicle is traveling, the display on the touch panel 13 is displayed according to whether or not human body communication is possible between the human body communication reception unit 11 and the human body communication transmission unit 2. It functions as a switching control means for switching the screen and switching a range in which an operation input by the user is possible.

  The human body communication transmitting unit 2 is installed at a position where a part of the body of the passenger is not separated even when the passenger sitting on the passenger seat operates the in-vehicle information device 1 such as in the seat surface of the passenger seat. And As a result, when the occupant seated in the passenger seat brings a part of the body close to the in-vehicle information device 1 to a position within a predetermined distance, the in-vehicle information device 1 is built in via the electric field formed by the occupant's body. The human body communication is enabled between the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2.

  The human body communication performed between the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2 is a human body communication called an electric field method using a property of a human body as a dielectric, and even through an insulator such as clothes. Communication is possible. About several mm on the surface of the body is considered to be a communicable range.

The human body is charged by a very small amount of charge movement (referred to as microampere order), and the change in the charged state is instantaneously transmitted to the human body surface and isotropically equipotential to the surroundings. A surface is formed.
For this reason, the human body communication transmitter 2 generates a quasi-electrostatic field based on the signal data to be transmitted, so that a human body that is extremely well charged in nature propagates the quasi-electrostatic field isotropically from its surface to the surroundings. Acts as an antenna. If the human body communication receiving unit 11 demodulates the received data in a predetermined frequency band based on a change in the charged state of the human body, as a result, an induction electromagnetic field or a radiated electric field that is unnecessary for the quasi-electrostatic field communication It is possible to perform human body communication with suppressed.

  Thus, in electric field type human body communication, energy required for communication can be reduced, and unnecessary resolution can be suppressed to improve spatial resolution. For this reason, it is possible to stabilize data communication via the human body, improve confidentiality, and reduce power consumption.

  The output signal electrode constituting the human body communication transmitting unit 2 may be incorporated in the seat surface portion of the passenger seat, or the outermost surface may be made of a conductive cloth so as not to cause discomfort even if the body is touched. preferable. By doing in this way, the discomfort at the time of use can be reduced significantly also to the person with a metal allergy.

  Next, the operation of the in-vehicle device control system as the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The touch panel 13 of the in-vehicle information device 1 displays that all operation input portions such as detailed function settings can be input when the travel detection unit 15 does not detect that the vehicle is traveling (step S2; No). Normal display is performed (step S1).
As described above, the control unit 14 controls the touch panel 13 to allow all operation inputs such as detailed function settings when the traveling detection unit 15 does not detect that the vehicle is traveling.

  Here, when the traveling detection unit 15 detects that the vehicle is traveling (step S2; Yes), the occupant seated in the passenger seat between the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2 is displayed. When the human body communication is not performed (step S3; No), the control unit 14 switches the display screen of the touch panel 13 to a simple display in which some of the operation menus in the normal display cannot be input (step). S4).

  This simple display may be, for example, grayed out portions that cannot be operated in the normal display of the touch panel 13 such as detailed function settings of the normal display. By such simple display, the operation input from the touch panel 13 is switched so that the predetermined contents are partially disabled, so that the driver can only operate within a predetermined range during driving. It is possible to prevent a person from gazing at the touch panel 13 of the in-vehicle information device 1.

  Here, the human body communication is performed between the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2 in a state where the traveling detection unit 15 detects that the vehicle is traveling as described above (step S2; Yes). Is performed (step S3; Yes), since it is considered that the passenger seated in the passenger seat is going to operate, the control unit 14 controls the display screen of the touch panel 13 with all the detailed function settings as described above. Is switched to the normal display enabling the input of the operation (step S5).

  As described above, the electric field type human body communication in the present embodiment can be performed through an insulator such as clothes, and can be performed within a predetermined distance of several millimeters on the surface of the body. For this reason, the display on the touch panel 13 is switched to the normal display when the passenger in the passenger seat brings a part of the body, such as the hand, to the touch panel 13 within a predetermined distance.

  As described above, the human body communication is performed between the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2 in a state where the traveling detection unit 15 detects that the vehicle is traveling (step S2; Yes). If it stops (step S3; No), the control part 14 will switch the display screen of the touch panel 13 to the simple display mentioned above at that time (step S4).

  When the traveling detection unit 15 no longer detects that the vehicle is traveling (step S2; No), the vehicle is considered to have stopped, so the control unit 14 switches the display screen of the touch panel 13 to the normal display described above. (Step S1).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since it is possible to reliably detect whether or not the operation is performed on the in-vehicle information device 1 by the occupant seated in the passenger seat, while ensuring safety during traveling of the vehicle, For passengers in the front passenger seat, it is possible to ensure convenience that allows detailed operation input even while traveling.
That is, when it is detected that the vehicle is traveling, detailed operation input by the driver can be surely prohibited, and gaze by the driver can be surely prevented. In addition, even when the passenger is traveling, the display on the touch panel 13 is switched simply by bringing a part of the body such as a hand close to the in-vehicle information device 1 by an occupant seated in the passenger seat, and a detailed operation input by a normal display is performed. Can do.

  For this reason, for example, when you want to search for a traffic jam avoidance route or reset the route during traffic jams, but want to perform detailed operations using in-vehicle information devices while the vehicle is running, It is possible to provide an operating environment in which a detailed operation can be surely performed by a person sitting in the passenger seat while reliably preventing the operation.

In recent years, in-vehicle information devices such as car navigation systems have become multifunctional and have incorporated various information retrieval and car audio functions. However, since searching for a store while driving or changing a playlist of car audio is a complicated operation, it is generally impossible to operate while driving for safety.
According to the present embodiment, when there is a passenger in the passenger seat, the convenience of the in-vehicle information device can be improved by providing means that can reliably determine that the operation is performed by the passenger in the passenger seat. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve both convenience and safety of in-vehicle information devices that will continue to evolve, diversify and become complex.

In addition, this embodiment specifies an operator through human body communication, and it is not necessary for a driver or a passenger in a passenger seat to have an authentication member for authentication such as an ID card, which places a psychological burden on the user. The above-described effects can be obtained.
In addition, even if the vehicle is used by an unspecified number of drivers, such as a rental car, by installing in-vehicle information equipment to which this embodiment is applied in advance in the vehicle, it takes some trouble to the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle information device that can achieve the above-described effects.

  Each of the above-described embodiments is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 14 switches the display on the touch panel 13 to the normal display while the human body communication between the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2 is detected. However, the configuration may be such that normal display is performed for a predetermined time after human body communication is detected.

  In the above-described embodiment, the human body communication transmission unit 2 is described as being built in the seat surface of the passenger seat. However, as long as the operator to the in-vehicle information device 1 can be specified, the position is not limited to this installation position. Alternatively, the driver seat may be built in the seat or handle of the driver's seat.

In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, even when the traveling detection unit 15 detects that the vehicle is traveling (step S <b>2; Yes), the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2 If no human body communication is detected (step S3; No), the control unit 14 keeps the display on the touch panel 13 as a normal display (step S14). When human body communication is detected between the human body communication receiving unit 11 and the human body communication transmitting unit 2 (step S3; No), the control unit 14 switches the display on the touch panel 13 to simple display at that time ( Step S15).
As a result, passengers other than the driver can perform detailed operation input by normal display even while the vehicle is running, and when the driver brings a part of the body such as the hand close to the in-vehicle information device 1, Thus, the display on the touch panel 13 is switched, and detailed operation input can be reliably prohibited. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver who is traveling from staring at the in-vehicle information device 1.

Moreover, in embodiment mentioned above, based on whether the human body communication between the human body communication receiving part 11 and the human body communication transmission part 2 is detected, the control part 14 switches the display of the touch panel 13, and is driving | running | working The detailed operation input by the driver has been described as being restricted. However, for example, the operation button that is not lit is disabled, and other parts of the operation input unit 12 may be restricted. Good.
That is, when the simple display is performed in the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3 described above, the operation input of other operation input units such as operation buttons may be limited within a predetermined range.

  In the above-described embodiment, the human body communication transmitting unit 2 has been described as being connected to the in-vehicle information device 1 via the cable 3. However, human body communication is possible with the human body communication receiving unit 11 when power is supplied. If it is, it is not limited to this structure, For example, the structure which the human body communication transmission part 2 operate | moves with another power supply without using the cable 3 may be sufficient.

In addition, the “system” in this specification is a logical collection of a plurality of devices (or functional modules that realize specific functions), and each device or each functional module is contained in a single housing. Whether or not there is no particular question.
For example, the present invention can be similarly realized even if the human body communication transmitting unit is built in the in-vehicle information device main body and the human body communication receiving unit is connected to the in-vehicle information device main body via a cable.

  In the above-described embodiment, the car navigation device is used as an example of the in-vehicle information device. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can be similarly applied to devices.

Further, by recording the processing procedure for realizing the in-vehicle device control system as the above-described embodiment on a recording medium as a program, the above-described functions according to each embodiment of the present invention are supplied from the recording medium. The program can be realized by causing a CPU of a computer constituting the system to perform processing.
In this case, the present invention can be applied even when an information group including a program is supplied to the output device from the above recording medium or from an external recording medium via a network.
That is, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the recording medium storing the program code and the signal read from the recording medium constitute the present invention. It will be.
As this recording medium, for example, flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, magnetic tape, non-volatile A memory card, ROM or the like may be used.

  According to the program according to the present invention, each function in the above-described embodiment can be realized in the in-vehicle device control system controlled by the program.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the vehicle equipment control system as embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of this vehicle equipment control system. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example at the time of incorporating the human body communication transmission part 2 in a driver's seat seat surface or a steering wheel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-vehicle information apparatus 11 Human body communication receiving part 12 Operation input part 13 Touch panel 14 Control part 15 Traveling detection part 2 Human body communication transmission part 3 Cable

Claims (8)

Human body communication transmitting means for transmitting data using an electric field formed by the human body;
Human body communication receiving means for receiving data from the human body communication transmitting means via the electric field;
Traveling detection means for detecting whether or not the vehicle is traveling;
An operation input means for receiving an operation input;
Switching control means for switching at least partly whether or not the operation input from the operation input means is possible according to the reception result by the human body communication receiving means when the travel detection means detects that the vehicle is running And an in-vehicle device control system. The operation input means includes at least a touch panel,
The in-vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein the switching control means switches display contents for receiving an operation input on the touch panel according to a reception result by the human body communication receiving means. The human body communication transmitting means and the human body communication receiving means are arranged so that data can be transmitted and received when an occupant seated in a seat other than the driver's seat of the vehicle places a part of the body within a predetermined distance to the operation input means. And
The switching control means is operated by an operation input means when it is detected by the travel detection means that the vehicle is running and data can be transmitted / received between the human body communication transmitting means and the human body communication receiving means. The in-vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein the input is enabled in the same manner as in a state where the vehicle is not running. The human body communication transmitting means and the human body communication receiving means are arranged so that data can be transmitted and received when a driver of the vehicle places a part of the body within a predetermined distance to the operation input means,
The switching control means is operated by an operation input means when it is detected by the travel detection means that the vehicle is running and data can be transmitted / received between the human body communication transmitting means and the human body communication receiving means. 3. The in-vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein the input is at least partially disabled. Human body communication transmitting means for transmitting data using an electric field formed by the human body;
Human body communication receiving means for receiving data from the human body communication transmitting means via the electric field;
An in-vehicle device control program for a system comprising an operation input means for receiving an operation input,
A travel detection process for detecting whether or not the vehicle is traveling;
When the travel detection process detects that the vehicle is traveling, a switching control process that switches at least partly whether or not an operation input from the operation input unit is possible according to a result received by the human body communication reception unit. And an in-vehicle device control program characterized by causing a computer to execute. The operation input means includes at least a touch panel,
6. The in-vehicle device control program according to claim 5, wherein, in the switching control process, display contents for receiving an operation input on the touch panel are switched according to a reception result by the human body communication receiving unit. The human body communication transmitting means and the human body communication receiving means are arranged so that data can be transmitted and received when an occupant seated in a seat other than the driver's seat of the vehicle places a part of the body within a predetermined distance to the operation input means. And
In the switching control process, when it is detected by the travel detection process that the vehicle is traveling and data transmission / reception is possible between the human body communication transmitting unit and the human body communication receiving unit, an operation from the operation input unit is performed. The in-vehicle device control program according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the input is enabled in the same manner as when the vehicle is not running. The human body communication transmitting means and the human body communication receiving means are arranged so that data can be transmitted and received when a driver of the vehicle places a part of the body within a predetermined distance to the operation input means,
In the switching control process, when it is detected by the travel detection process that the vehicle is traveling and data transmission / reception is possible between the human body communication transmitting unit and the human body communication receiving unit, an operation from the operation input unit is performed. The in-vehicle device control program according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the input is at least partially disabled.

Images