JP2013028277A - Information input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide information input device for enabling the input of operation information to on-vehicle equipment even during turning a vehicle, similarly to that during travelling straight.SOLUTION: The information input device 1 detects information which is input by a driver beating a steering part 60 steering the vehicle, and outputs the operation information to controlled equipment 70 on the basis of the input information. The information input device 1 includes vibration measuring parts 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, 10LD for measuring vibration generated in the steering part 60, a rotating angle measuring part 20 for measuring the rotating angle of the steering part 60, a computing part 40 for computing a beat position as a beaten portion of the steering part 60, in reference to the driver, on the basis of measurement signals form the vibration measuring parts 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, 10LD and measurement signals from the rotating angle measuring part 20, and a control part 45 for outputting to the controlled equipment 70 a control signal relating to the operation information corresponding to the computed beat position.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information input device, and more particularly to an information input device suitable for being provided in a steering used for steering a vehicle.

  In recent years, in vehicles such as automobiles, the types of in-vehicle devices such as car stereos and car navigation systems are increasing, and information input methods for operating these in-vehicle devices are becoming more complex. For example, when a plurality of buttons corresponding to the type of operation on the in-vehicle device are provided, the driver of the vehicle operating the on-vehicle device needs to press the plurality of buttons in order in accordance with the operation order. There was a problem that the burden on the driver was heavy. Furthermore, the situation in which one hand of the driver is used for inputting operation information to the vehicle-mounted device and the other hand is used for steering the vehicle will continue for a long time, further increasing the burden on the driver. There was a problem.

  In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed an information input device that allows the driver to input operation information for the in-vehicle device without releasing his hand from the steering wheel (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). .

  Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose a steering input device in which a piezoelectric sensor is provided in a gripping portion (a portion gripped by a driver) of a steering wheel. In this steering input device, it is possible to distinguish information on operations input based on how the load is applied to the steering wheel and the magnitude of the load applied to the steering wheel, and to output a plurality of operation information to the in-vehicle device.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an information input device provided with a sound wave detection means for detecting a sound wave transmitted through a steering wheel. In this information input device, the tapped position on the steering wheel is tapped based on the time difference between the timing at which the sound wave transmitted clockwise through the steering hole and the timing at which the sound wave transmitted counterclockwise is detected. Can be requested. And the information input device of patent document 3 can output desired operation information to vehicle equipment by previously matching the position which tapped the steering wheel, and operation information outputted to vehicle equipment.

JP 2000-228126 A JP 2000-182464 A JP 2009-262710 A

  In the steering input device described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 described above, operation information that can be input by associating a position at which a load is applied on the steering wheel, a hit position, and desired operation information to the in-vehicle device. A technique for increasing the number and type of the devices is disclosed.

However, the method of associating the position of the steering wheel with desired operation information has the following problems.
That is, when the steering wheel is rotated to turn the vehicle, the position of the steering wheel associated with the desired operation information is also rotated at the same time. Then, there is a problem that the driver cannot immediately know which position on the steering wheel is to be loaded or which position should be hit in order to input desired operation information.

  In other words, when the steering wheel is rotated, the driver often changes the steering wheel. When the steering wheel is changed, the relative position relationship between the driver's hand holding the steering wheel and the position of the steering wheel associated with the desired operation information changes, and the driver is associated with the desired operation information. There was a problem that the position of the steering wheel was easily lost.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and provides an information input device capable of inputting operation information to an in-vehicle device similar to when traveling straight even when the vehicle is turning. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The information input device of the present invention detects information input by a driver hitting a steering unit for steering a vehicle by rotating around a rotation axis, and operates on a controlled device based on the input information. An information input device that outputs information, wherein at least two or more vibration measurement units that measure vibration generated in the steering unit when the driver strikes the device, and a rotation angle that measures a rotation angle of the steering unit A calculation unit, and a calculation unit that calculates a hit position that is a portion hitting the steering unit based on the driver based on a measurement signal of the vibration measurement unit and a measurement signal of the rotation angle measurement unit; The operation information corresponding to the hit position is stored in advance, and the operation information corresponding to the hit position calculated by the calculation unit is selected and selected based on the previously stored correspondence. A control unit for outputting a control signal according to the operation information to the controlled device, characterized in that is provided.

  According to the information input device of the present invention, the calculation unit calculates a hit position which is a portion hitting the steering unit based on the driver, and relates to predetermined operation information determined in advance based on the hit position. A control signal is output to the controlled device. Therefore, the driver can input the desired operation information by hitting the position of the portion of the steering unit corresponding to the desired operation information on the basis of his / her vertical and horizontal directions.

  For example, when a control signal related to the corresponding operation information is output to the controlled device based on a portion where the steering unit is struck based on the up / down / left / right direction of the steering unit, a desired signal is output according to the rotation of the steering unit. The portion of the steering unit corresponding to the operation information also rotates. Then, it becomes difficult for the driver to grasp the portion of the steering unit corresponding to the desired operation information, and it becomes difficult to input the desired operation information.

  On the other hand, in the information input device of the present invention, the portion of the steering unit corresponding to the desired operation information is not rotated by the rotation of the steering unit. It is possible to easily grasp the portion, and it is possible to easily input desired operation information.

  In the above invention, the calculation unit calculates a detection position that is a position where the steering unit is hit based on the steering unit based on a measurement signal of the vibration measurement unit, and then the rotation angle measurement unit It is desirable to convert the detection position into the hit position based on the measurement signal.

  In this way, when calculating the hit position in the calculation unit, after calculating the detection position first, by converting this detection position into the hit position, compared with the method of directly calculating the hit position, Arithmetic processing for calculating the hit position is facilitated.

  In other words, the calculation process when calculating the detection position based on the vertical and horizontal directions of the steering unit based on the measurement signal output from the vibration measurement unit that rotates with the rotation of the steering unit directly calculates the hit position. It is easier than the arithmetic processing at the time. Furthermore, the calculation processing for converting the detection position into the hitting position is easier than the calculation processing for directly calculating the hitting position. Therefore, by calculating the detection position first and then converting this detection position to the hit position, the calculation process for calculating the hit position is facilitated, and the hit position can be obtained more quickly.

  In the above invention, the calculation unit stores in advance a table that defines the relationship between the rotation angle of the steering unit measured by the rotation angle measurement unit, the detection position, and the hitting position, and the table, the detection It is desirable to obtain the hit position based on the position and the rotation angle of the steering unit.

  In this way, by using a table that defines the relationship between the rotation angle of the steering unit, the detection position, and the hitting position, the detection is performed in comparison with the method that uses the relational expression that defines the relationship between the three. The amount of calculation processing required when converting the position to the hit position is reduced.

  In the above invention, the arithmetic unit stores in advance a relational expression that defines a relationship between the rotation angle of the steering unit measured by the rotation angle measurement unit, the detection position, and the hitting position, and the relational expression, It is desirable to calculate the hit position based on the detection position and the rotation angle of the steering unit.

  In this way, by using the relational expression that defines the relationship between the rotation angle of the steering unit, the detection position, and the striking position, the relationship is compared with the method that uses the table that defines the relationship between the three. The capacity required to store the formula can be reduced.

In the above invention, the rotation angle measurement unit is preferably a rotation angle sensor that measures a rotation angle of the rotation shaft in the steering unit.
In this way, the rotation angle sensor that measures the rotation angle of the rotating shaft that transmits the rotation of the steering unit to the front wheels of the vehicle is used as the rotation angle measurement unit, thereby comparing with other measurement means as the rotation angle measurement unit. Thus, the rotation angle of the steering unit can be measured more accurately.

  In the above invention, the rotation angle measurement unit measures a reaction force acting on the steering unit when the steering unit is rotated, and estimates a rotation angle of the steering unit based on the magnitude of the measured reaction force. It is desirable to do.

  As described above, when the steering unit is rotated, the rotation angle of the steering unit can be estimated by measuring the magnitude of the reaction force acting in the direction to return the steering unit to the original position. Generally, when a vehicle returns from a turning traveling state to a straight traveling state, the wheel alignment is adjusted so that the front wheels can be easily returned to the straight traveling state. In other words, a force directed in the straight traveling direction acts on the front wheel directed in the turning direction, and this force is transmitted to the steering unit as a reaction force. The magnitude of the reaction force changes according to the rotation angle of the front wheels in the turning direction, in other words, the rotation angle of the steering unit. Therefore, the rotation angle of the steering unit can be estimated by measuring the magnitude of the reaction force.

In the above invention, it is desirable that the rotation angle measurement unit captures the steering unit and estimates the rotation angle of the steering unit based on image data of the steering unit.
In this manner, the rotation angle of the steering unit can be estimated by performing arithmetic processing such as image analysis based on the image data obtained by photographing the steering unit. As a means for photographing the steering section, a camera used for other purposes such as a security camera for photographing the situation inside the vehicle interior may be shared, or a dedicated camera for mainly photographing the steering section may be used. Also good.

In the above invention, it is preferable that the rotation angle measurement unit measures a movement of the driver and estimates a rotation angle of the steering unit from the measured movement of the driver.
Thus, the rotation angle of the steering unit is estimated by measuring the driver's movement using a means such as a motion sensor and specifying the movement of rotating the steering unit from the measured driver movement. Can do. As a means for measuring the movement of the driver, a motion sensor used for other purposes may be shared, or a dedicated motion sensor used only for the rotation angle measurement unit may be used.

  According to the information input device of the present invention, the calculation unit calculates a hit position which is a portion hitting the steering unit based on the driver, and relates to predetermined operation information determined in advance based on the hit position. In order to output the control signal to the controlled device, the driver inputs the desired operation information by tapping the position of the portion of the steering unit corresponding to the desired operation information with reference to his / her vertical and horizontal directions. Can do. In other words, even when the vehicle is turning, there is an effect that operation information can be input to the in-vehicle device as in the case of going straight.

It is a mimetic diagram explaining the outline of the information input device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the structure of the steering part of FIG. 1, and arrangement | positioning of a sensor part. It is a schematic diagram explaining the arrangement | positioning state of the sensor part of FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the attachment state of the sensor part with respect to a spoke. It is a flowchart explaining control of the vehicle equipment in the information input device of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the processing content in the hit estimation process of FIG. It is a graph explaining the time change of the measurement signal input into a calculating part from the sensor part for input. It is a figure of the table explaining the relationship between the position where the steering wheel was hit, and the time difference which the sensor part for input measured vibration. It is a flowchart explaining the processing content of a hit position recognition. It is a figure of the table explaining the relationship between the rotation angle and detection position of a steering wheel, and the hit position on the basis of a driver. It is a flowchart explaining the processing content of vehicle equipment control. It is a figure of the table explaining a response | compatibility with a hit position, a control object, and a controlled variable. It is a figure explaining switching of the vehicle equipment in the control object switching process of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the processing content in the setting content change process of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining another Example of the steering part of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the processing content of the hit position recognition in the information input device of this embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
An information input device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The information input device 1 according to the present embodiment is provided in a steering unit (steering unit) 60 used for steering a vehicle, as shown in a schematic diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of FIG. It is used for the operation of the in-vehicle device (controlled device) 70.

  The information input device 1 includes input sensor units (vibration measurement units) 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD used for inputting operation information, and a rotation angle sensor unit (rotation angle measurement unit) that measures the rotation angle of the steering unit 60. ) 20, a signal processing unit 30 that processes signals output from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD and the rotation angle sensor unit 20, and steering based on the driver based on the processed signals The calculation unit 40 that calculates the hit position of the unit 60, the control unit 45 that determines the operation information corresponding to the calculated hit position, and outputs a control signal to the in-vehicle device 70, and the operating state of the in-vehicle device to the driver A display unit 50 that communicates is mainly provided.

  The steering unit 60 includes a steering shaft (rotating shaft) 61 that is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis, a steering wheel 62 that is a grip portion formed in an annular shape, and a connection unit that connects the steering shaft 61 and the steering wheel 62. The spoke 63 is mainly provided. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3 for explaining the configuration of the steering unit 60, the information input device 1 is provided in the steering unit 60 in which four spokes 63 are provided in a π-shape. This is applied to an example.

  The steering wheel 62 is gripped by the driver, and the vehicle is steered by rotating the steering wheel 62 around the steering shaft 61. As shown in FIG. 2A, the steering wheel 62 has eight sections arranged in the circumferential direction, section A, section B, section C, section D clockwise from the upper end (clockwise). , Section E, section F, section G, and section H are defined. These sections A to H are positions based on the steering wheel 62, in other words, are directly assigned to the steering wheel 62 itself. Therefore, when the steering wheel 62 rotates, the section A to the section H rotate according to the rotation of the steering wheel 62 (see FIG. 2B).

  On the other hand, when the steering wheel 62 is viewed from the driver, eight regions aligned in the circumferential direction are determined based on the driver, and the “upper” region, “clockwise” from the upper end, An upper right area, a right area, a lower right area, a lower area, a lower left area, a left area, and an upper left area are defined. These “upper” regions to “upper left” regions are regions based on the driver, and even if the steering wheel 62 rotates, the positions of these regions do not rotate (see FIG. 2B).

  The steering wheel 62 and the spoke 63 have a metal frame such as iron arranged at the center in the cross section, an elastic material such as urethane is arranged around the frame, and a cover is arranged on the outer surface. The rotation of the steering wheel 62 is transmitted to the steering shaft 61 by the spoke 63, and is transmitted from the steering shaft 61 to a steering mechanism (not shown) of the vehicle.

  The input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD use piezoelectric elements that convert vibrations into electrical signals. As shown in FIG. 1, the converted electrical signals are output to the signal processing unit 30 as measurement signals. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD are provided in each of the spokes 63 of the steering unit 60, and measure vibration transmitted from the steering wheel 62 to the spokes 63. To do. Therefore, it is desirable that the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD are disposed in the vicinity of a portion of the spoke 63 that is connected to the steering wheel 62.

  As shown in FIG. 4 for explaining the attachment state of the input sensor unit 10RU to the spoke 63, the input sensor unit 10RU is arranged on the upper surface of the skeleton 64 in the spoke 63 for the purpose of increasing the vibration measurement sensitivity. . Therefore, the input sensor unit 10RU is covered with the cover 65 or the like and cannot be visually observed from the outside. Although only the input sensor unit 10RU is illustrated in FIG. 4, the other input sensor units 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD are similarly arranged.

  In the present embodiment, as viewed from the driver, the input sensor unit 10RU is disposed on the spoke 63 extending to the right side, and the input sensor unit 10LU is disposed on the spoke 63 extending to the left side. The description will be made with reference to an example in which the input sensor unit 10RD is disposed in the spoke 63 extending in the vertical direction and the input sensor unit 10LD is disposed in the spoke 63 extending toward the lower left.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rotation angle sensor unit 20 is provided on the steering shaft 61 of the steering unit 60, and measures the rotation angle of the steering shaft 61, in other words, the rotation angle of the steering unit 60. . The rotation angle sensor unit 20 of the present embodiment can be used as an angle sensor using a weight, a photoelectric rotary encoder, a magnetic rotary encoder, a rotary encoder that captures changes in capacitance, A known sensor such as a rotary encoder that captures electrical continuity can be exemplified.

  The signal processing unit 30 processes the measurement signals output from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD and the rotation angle sensor unit 20 into a signal that can be input to the control unit 45. As shown in FIG. 1, the signal processing unit 30 includes an amplification unit 31 that amplifies the amplitude of the measurement signal, and an A / D conversion unit 32 that converts the measurement signal that is an analog signal into a digital signal. Yes. As the amplifying unit 31 and the A / D converting unit 32, known ones can be used, and the types thereof are not particularly limited.

The calculation unit 40 and the control unit 45 are calculation processing devices that perform calculation processing of various types of information by reading and executing various programs written in a built-in storage device.
When the driver hits the steering wheel 62, the calculation unit 40 is based on the measurement signals output from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD, and the hit position of the steering wheel 62 with respect to the driver. In other words, one of the “upper” region and the “upper left” region in FIGS. 2A and 2B is calculated. A method for calculating the hit position will be described later.

  The control unit 45 specifies operation information corresponding to the hit position calculated by the calculation unit 40, and outputs a control signal related to the specified operation information to the in-vehicle device 70. Furthermore, the control part 45 receives the signal which shows an operation state from the vehicle equipment 70 which output the control signal, and outputs the control signal which notifies a driver | operator of the said operation state to the display part 50. FIG.

In addition to the signal processing unit 30 described above, a signal is input to the control unit 45 from a footrest switch 46.
The footrest switch 46 is a switch that selects the content of an operation on the in-vehicle device 70 between operation control and setting change. When the driver steps on the footrest switch 46 with his / her foot, a selection signal for switching to a mode for controlling the operation of the in-vehicle device 70 or a mode for changing the setting is output to the control unit 45. For example, every time the footrest switch 46 is depressed, the mode is alternately switched to a mode for controlling the operation and a mode for changing the setting.

  Further, a control bus 47 is provided between the control unit 45 and the in-vehicle device 70, and a control signal output from the control unit 45 is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 70 and an operation state output from the in-vehicle device 70 is shown. A signal can be transmitted to the control unit 45.

  The display unit 50 transmits various information to the driver, operates based on a control signal output from the control unit 45, and displays an operation state of the in-vehicle device 70 as an image. It is. As a method for transmitting the operating state of the in-vehicle device 70 to the driver, in addition to a visual transmission method such as the above-described image, a transmission method through hearing such as voice or a tactile sense such as vibration is used. The transmission method may be used and is not particularly limited.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device 70 in the present embodiment includes an air conditioner 71, a car stereo 72, an electronic sound source 73, a navigation 74, a direction indicator 75, an AT (Automatic Transmission) shift 76, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) 77 is included. In addition, what was listed here is an illustration, Comprising: It is not necessary to include all these. Furthermore, things other than those listed here may be included.

  Next, a method for controlling the in-vehicle device 70 in the information input device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the in-vehicle device 70 in the information input device 1 of FIG.

  First, it is determined whether or not power is supplied to the information input device 1 (S11). If power is not supplied (in the case of NO), the process continues to wait until power is supplied. When power is supplied to the information input device 1 (YES), the control unit 45 displays on the display unit 50 the operation target at that time, in other words, the in-vehicle device 70 that outputs a control signal from the control unit 45. The control signal to be output is output. At the same time, the control unit 45 receives a signal related to the operation state in the in-vehicle device 70 to be operated from the in-vehicle device 70, and outputs a control signal for displaying the operation state on the display unit 50 (S12).

  For example, when the in-vehicle device 70 to be operated is the air conditioner 71, a display indicating that the operation target is the air conditioner 71 and a display indicating the operation state of the air conditioner 71 are displayed on the display unit 50 (air conditioner_temperature 25 ° C. _Low air volume).

  Thereafter, the control unit 45 determines whether or not a selection signal for selecting the content of the operation on the in-vehicle device 70 is input by operating (turning on) the footrest switch 46 (S13). When the footrest switch 46 is not operated (in the case of NO), the control unit 45 starts the hit estimation process (S14).

  As in the flowchart showing the processing contents in the hit estimation process shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 45 determines whether or not a measurement signal is input from the input sensor unit 10RU (S101), and the input sensor unit 10RU. If a measurement signal is input from (if YES), the waveform of the measurement signal is stored in a storage unit (not shown) (S102). The storage of the waveform means storing the time when the vibration is measured and the amplitude of the vibration.

  Similarly, it is determined whether or not a measurement signal is input from the input sensor units 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD (S103, S105, and S107), and the measurement signal is input from the input sensor units 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD. In the case of YES (in the case of YES), the waveform of the measurement signal is stored in a storage unit (not shown) (S104, S106, S108).

  Next, the control unit 45 determines whether or not measurement signals are input from all of the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD (S109). When measurement signals are not input from all input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD (in the case of NO), the control unit 45 returns to S101 and repeats the hit estimation process.

  In S109, when measurement signals are input from all the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD (in the case of YES), the control unit 45 causes the calculation unit 40 to input the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU. , 10RD, based on the measurement signal input from 10LD, a process of identifying the detection position that is the hit section is executed (S110).

  For example, when the upper end of the steering wheel 62 in the state shown in FIG. 2A, in other words, the section A is hit, vibrations are input from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD as shown in FIG. The measurement signal is input to the calculation unit 40.

  The vibration of the steering wheel 62 generated by hitting the section A is transmitted clockwise and counterclockwise through the steering wheel 62, and the left and right input sensor units 10RU at the same distance from the section A t1 hours after being hit. , 10 LU first and simultaneously measured. Further, the vibration transmitted through the steering wheel 62 is simultaneously measured by the lower left and lower right input sensor units 10RD and 10LD at time t2 after being hit.

  The calculation unit 40 determines which section of the steering wheel 62 is struck based on the difference in time during which vibrations between the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD are measured, in other words, based on the order in which the vibrations are measured. The process which estimates whether it is is performed.

  The calculation unit 40 includes a position at which the steering wheel 62 as shown in FIG. 8 is struck and a time difference in which vibrations are measured by the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD, in other words, an order in which the vibrations are measured. A table representing the relationship is stored in advance. As described above, when vibration is first measured by the left and right input sensor units 10RU and 10LU, and then vibration is measured by the lower left and lower right input sensor units 10RD and 10LD, the calculation unit 40 estimates that section A has been hit.

  When the calculation unit 40 obtains a detection position that is a hit position on the steering wheel 62, it is determined whether or not the calculation unit 40 has correctly identified the detection position as shown in FIG. 6 (S111). The determination is performed by comparing the contents of the table of FIG. 8 stored in advance in the calculation unit 40 with the measurement signals output from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD.

  Note that, as described above, the detection position may be estimated based on the time difference when the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD measure the vibration, or the measurement is performed by the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD. The detection position may be estimated based on the magnitude of the amplitude, and is not particularly limited.

  When the calculation unit 40 determines that the detection position identified in S110, for example, the section A, has not been correctly identified by comparison (NO), the calculation unit 40 performs an error display process. (S112). As the error display, for example, information that informs the driver that the hit position of the steering wheel 62 has not been correctly recognized is displayed on the display unit 50.

  On the other hand, when the calculation unit 40 determines that the detection position identified in S110, for example, the section A is correctly identified (in the case of YES), the calculation unit 40 executes a process of measuring the maximum amplitude. (S113). Specifically, a measurement signal having the largest vibration amplitude is selected from the measurement signals input from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD, and processing for obtaining the maximum vibration amplitude is executed.

  Thereafter, the calculation unit 40 executes a process of recognizing the hitting position based on the vertical and horizontal directions of the driver from the detection position based on the vertical and horizontal directions of the steering wheel 62 (S114). Specifically, a measurement signal that is information on the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 output from the rotation angle sensor unit 20 is acquired as in the flowchart showing the processing content of the hitting position recognition shown in FIG. 9 (S121).

  The calculation unit 40 to which the measurement signal related to the rotation angle is input from the rotation angle sensor unit 20 hits the driver based on the measurement signal related to the angle and the detected position (eg, section A) identified in S110. A process of selecting a position is executed (S122). As shown in FIG. 10, the calculation unit 40 stores a table in which the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 and the relationship between the detection position and the hit position on the basis of the driver are determined in advance.

  The rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 is 0 ° in the state shown in FIG. 2A, in other words, the state in which the vehicle goes straight, the right rotation angle is “+”, and the left rotation angle is “−”. It is expressed as an angle. For example, FIG. 2B shows a state in which the steering wheel 62 has been rotated by a rotation angle of + 90 °.

  First, the process of S122 performed when the steering wheel 62 is in the state shown in FIG. 2A will be described, and the process performed when the steering wheel 62 is in the state shown in FIG. 2B will be described.

  When the steering wheel 62 is in the state shown in FIG. 2A and the driver hits the uppermost part of the steering wheel 62, the calculation unit 40 measures the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD. Based on the signal, the detection position is estimated to be section A. Further, a measurement signal (angle information) that the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 is 0 ° is input from the rotation angle sensor unit 20 to the calculation unit 40.

  The calculation unit 40 performs a process of selecting a hit position based on the corresponding driver based on the detected position (section A) and the rotation angle (0 °) and the table shown in FIG. In this case, the “upper” region where the row of the detection position “A” intersects with the column of the rotation angle “−22.5 ° to 22.5 °” of the steering wheel 62 is selected.

  When the steering wheel 62 is in the state shown in FIG. 2 (b), when the driver hits the uppermost portion of the steering wheel 62, the calculation unit 40 estimates that the detection position is the section G. Further, a measurement signal indicating that the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 is 90 ° is input from the rotation angle sensor unit 20 to the calculation unit 40. Based on these detection position (section G) and rotation angle (90 °) and the table shown in FIG. 10, the calculation unit 40 determines the row of the detection position “G” and the rotation angle “−67” of the steering wheel 62. The “upper” region where the row of “.5 ° to 112.5 °” intersects is selected as a hitting position based on the driver.

  When the process of selecting the hit position in the calculation unit 40 is completed as described above, the process returns to FIG. The in-vehicle device control process is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the control unit 45 determines the hit position estimated by the calculation unit 40 and the maximum amplitude width stored in S113 of FIG. Is selected (S131).

  The control unit 45 stores in advance a table (table) that defines the correspondence between the hitting position as shown in FIG. The control unit 45 selects a control target based on the estimated hitting position and the table of FIG. Further, if the control amount of the selected control target is one that specifies a level other than on or off (volume etc.), the control unit 45 determines the control amount according to the maximum value of the amplitude measured in S113. .

  Specifically, in the case of controlling the car stereo (indicated as “Caste” in FIG. 12) 72, the selection of the album, the change of the music, and the change of the volume are the control targets. The amount of control is to perform (turn on) the operation. When controlling the ACC 77, it is controlled to increase (speed up) the traveling speed of the vehicle or decrease (speed DOWN) the traveling speed, and to control the operation of the controlled object (turn on). It has become a quantity. When controlling the direction indicator 75, blinking blinkers that mean right turn, blinking blinkers that mean left turn, simultaneous blinking of left and right blinkers that mean hazards, etc. are controlled objects, and the operation of the controlled object is controlled. Performing (turning on) and stopping (off) are control amounts.

  In the case of controlling the air conditioner 71, a change in the outlet of the conditioned air, a change in the target temperature in the passenger compartment, a change in the air volume of the blown air, and the like are controlled, and the operation of the controlled object is performed ( ON) is the control amount. When the navigation 74 is controlled, the scroll direction (up, down, right, left, etc.) of the displayed image (for example, a map image) is the control target, and control is performed to perform the operation of the control target (scroll). It has become a quantity.

  When controlling the electronic sound source 73, the matching hand (see Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-049324) and each sound source (sound source A, sound source B,. off), and the volume of each sound source is a control amount. The volume is controlled based on the strength with which the steering wheel 62 is struck, in other words, based on the magnitude of the vibration amplitude measured by each sensor unit.

  When controlling the AT shift 76, the shift that is the gear stage of the transmission that is the transmission is to be controlled, and the gear stage is changed to a lower gear ratio (shift UP), and the gear ratio is changed to a higher gear ratio. (Shift DOWN) is the control amount. In this case, when the driver hits the “upper right”, “right”, and “lower right” regions on the right side of the steering wheel 62 regardless of the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62, the shift UP corresponds to the left side “ When the driver hits the “upper left”, “left”, and “lower left” regions, the shift DOWN corresponds.

  Then, the control part 45 produces | generates the control signal which concerns on the selected control content and control amount, and outputs the produced | generated control signal toward the corresponding vehicle equipment 70 (S132). Note that the in-vehicle device 70 does not execute an operation only with this control signal, and the in-vehicle device 70 executes the control contents only when a control signal related to the execution of control described later is input.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the control unit 45 executes a control status update process (S15). Specifically, the control unit 45 outputs a control signal for starting the operation of the in-vehicle device 70 based on the control signal output so far.

  When the control signal is output, the control unit 45 determines whether or not the information input apparatus 1 is powered off (S16). When the power is turned off (in the case of YES), the process returns to S11 and the above process is repeated. When the power is not turned off (in the case of NO), the process returns to S12 and the above-described processing is repeated, and the updated operating status of the in-vehicle device 70 is displayed on the display unit 50 in S12. Thereby, the input result of the operation information is fed back to the driver.

  Processing in the case where the footrest switch 46 is operated in the determination in S13 described above (in the case of YES) will be described. In this case, the control unit 45 starts control target switching processing (S17).

  For example, when the spoke 63 extending to the left is struck by the driver, a measurement signal obtained by measuring the vibration generated by the struck is input to the control unit 45 from the input sensor unit 10LU. Then, the control unit 45 changes the in-vehicle device 70 to be controlled every time a control signal is input in accordance with the switching order of the in-vehicle device 70 shown in FIG. FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which the control target is changed from the in-vehicle device 70 described in the upper side to the in-vehicle device 70 described in the lower side. Moreover, in FIG. 13, the user setting 1 and the user setting 2 which can set a control object by the user are also provided.

  When the vehicle-mounted device 70 that is the control target is switched, the control unit 45 determines whether or not to change the setting of the vehicle-mounted device 70 that is the control target (S18). For example, the determination is made based on whether or not the spoke 63 that extends to the right is struck by the driver. When the setting is not changed (in the case of NO), the process returns to S12 and the above control is repeated.

  On the other hand, when the setting is changed (in the case of YES), the control unit 45 further determines whether or not the vehicle is stopped (S18). For example, the control unit 45 determines whether the vehicle is stopped or traveling based on the measurement signal output from the vehicle speed sensor. When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling (in the case of NO), the control unit 45 outputs a control signal for displaying an error on the display unit 50 (S19). And it returns to S13 and performs the above-mentioned process repeatedly.

  When it is determined that the vehicle is stopped (in the case of YES), the control unit 45 starts a setting content changing process (S20). The setting content changing process is a process of changing the control object assigned to each region (upper, lower, right, left, upper right, lower right, upper left, lower left) of the steering wheel 62 based on the driver.

  Like the flowchart showing the processing content in the setting content changing process shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 45 starts a wheel hitting estimation process for estimating the portion of the steering wheel 62 hit by the driver (S141). Note that the processing performed here is the same as the processing from S101 to S115 in the steering wheel hit estimation processing performed in S14, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  When the hit position that is the hit portion of the steering wheel 62 is estimated in the process of S141, the control unit 45 outputs a control signal that displays the estimated hit position on the display unit 50, and confirms to the driver. Ask. If the hit position displayed on the display unit 50 is correct, the driver inputs operation information for selecting the hit position to the control unit 45 (S142).

  Thereafter, control content newly assigned to the selected hitting position is input to the control unit 45 (S143). For example, when the driver presses a switch for selecting a function (control content) in the in-vehicle device 70 as a target, newly assigned control content is input.

  When newly assigned control content is input, the control unit 45 assigns the input new control content to the selected hit position, and the contents of a table (table) that defines the correspondence between the hit position and the control content. Is updated (S144). Further, the control unit 45 outputs a control signal for displaying the updated hitting position and control content on the display unit 50 (S145). Thereafter, the process returns to S12 shown in FIG.

  According to the information input device 1 having the above-described configuration, the calculation unit 40 calculates a hit position that is a portion hitting the steering wheel 62 with the driver as a reference, and based on the hit position, a predetermined corresponding action is calculated. A control signal related to the operation information is output to the in-vehicle device 70. Therefore, the driver can input the desired operation information by hitting the position of the portion of the steering wheel 62 corresponding to the desired operation information with reference to his / her vertical and horizontal directions.

  For example, when a control signal related to the corresponding operation information is output to the in-vehicle device 70 based on a portion where the steering wheel 62 is struck based on the up / down / left / right direction of the steering wheel 62, Thus, the portion of the steering wheel 62 corresponding to the desired operation information also rotates. Then, it becomes difficult for the driver to grasp the portion of the steering wheel 62 corresponding to the desired operation information, and it becomes difficult to input the desired operation information.

  In contrast, in the information input device 1 of the present embodiment, the steering wheel 62 corresponding to the desired operation information does not rotate due to the rotation of the steering wheel 62. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp the portion of the steering wheel 62 corresponding to the above, and it is possible to easily input desired operation information. In other words, even when the vehicle is turning, the operation information for the in-vehicle device 70 can be input in the same manner as when the vehicle is traveling straight.

  In calculating the striking position, the calculation unit 40 first calculates the detection position and then converts the detection position to the striking position. Therefore, compared with the method of directly calculating the hit position, the arithmetic processing for calculating the hit position is facilitated.

  That is, when the detection position based on the vertical and horizontal directions of the steering wheel 62 is calculated based on the measurement signals output from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD that rotate as the steering wheel 62 rotates. The calculation process is easier than the calculation process when directly calculating the hit position. Further, the calculation processing for converting the detection position into the hitting position can also be performed by using a table that defines the relationship between the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62, the detection position, and the hitting position. It is easier than the arithmetic processing when calculating directly. Therefore, by calculating the detection position first and then converting this detection position to the hit position, the calculation process for calculating the hit position is facilitated, and the hit position can be obtained more quickly.

  Compared with the case where the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 is measured by the following measurement method by measuring the rotation angle of the steering shaft 61 that transmits the rotation of the steering wheel 62 to the front wheels of the vehicle, etc. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 can be measured more accurately.

  Note that, as in the above-described embodiment, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 may be measured by the rotation angle sensor unit 20, or the reaction force acting on the steering unit 60 when the steering wheel 62 is rotated is measured. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 may be estimated based on the magnitude of the measured reaction force.

  Generally, when a vehicle returns from a turning traveling state to a straight traveling state, the wheel alignment is adjusted so that the front wheels can be easily returned to the straight traveling state. In other words, a force directed in the straight direction acts on the front wheel directed in the turning direction, and this force is transmitted to the steering wheel 62 as a reaction force. The magnitude of the reaction force changes according to the rotation angle of the front wheels in the turning direction, in other words, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62. Therefore, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 can be estimated by measuring the magnitude of the reaction force.

Further, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 may be estimated based on image data obtained by photographing the steering wheel 62.
That is, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 can be estimated by performing arithmetic processing such as image analysis on the image data obtained by photographing the steering wheel 62. As a means for photographing the steering wheel 62, a camera used for other purposes, such as a security camera for photographing a vehicle interior situation, may be shared, or a dedicated camera for mainly photographing the steering wheel 62 may be used. It may be used.

Further, the movement of the driver may be measured, and the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 may be estimated from this movement.
That is, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 is estimated by measuring the driver's movement using a means such as a motion sensor and identifying the movement that rotates the steering wheel 62 from the measured movement of the driver. Can do. As a means for measuring the movement of the driver, a motion sensor used for other purposes may be shared, or a dedicated motion sensor for measuring the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 may be used.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the steering unit 60 is described as being applied to one having four spokes 63. However, the number of spokes 63 is not limited to four, and as shown in FIG. The number of the spokes 63 may be provided, and the number is not limited. In the case of the steering unit 60 shown in FIG. 15, three sensors are provided: left and right input sensor units 10RU, 10LU and a lower input sensor unit 10D.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The basic configuration of the information input device of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, the first embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the driver is determined from the section (detection position) based on the steering wheel in the calculation unit. The content of the conversion process to the reference area (striking position) is different. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only the above-described conversion process will be described with reference to FIG. 16, and description of other configurations and the like will be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the calculation unit 40 of the information input device 1 is based on the driver based on the measurement signals output from the input sensor units 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, and 10LD, as in the first embodiment. 2 is calculated from the “upper” region to the “upper left” region in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The first embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a relational expression for obtaining a hitting position from a detection position is stored in advance instead of storing the table shown in FIG. 10 in advance.

  Next, a method for controlling the in-vehicle device 70 in the information input device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, only the process different from the process in the first embodiment, that is, the hitting position recognition process (S114) in the calculation unit 40 will be described, and the description of the same process as the process in the first embodiment will be omitted. To do.

  The calculation unit 40 according to the present embodiment executes the calculation process according to the flowchart showing the hitting position recognition process shown in FIG. 16 (S114). First, the calculation unit 40 acquires a measurement signal that is information on the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 output from the rotation angle sensor unit 20 (S121).

  After that, the calculation unit 40 uses a measurement signal related to the angle and a detection position identified in S110 (for example, the section A) to calculate a hitting position based on the driver as a pre-stored relational expression described below. The processing to be obtained is executed (S222).

  In the above formula, D is a hit position, L is a detection position, and R is a rotation angle (°) of the steering wheel 62. INT is a function for truncating numbers after the decimal point. Further, L in the above formula is input by replacing the sections A to H with the numbers 1 to 8, respectively. Similarly, D is output by replacing the “upper” region to the “upper left” region with numbers 1 to 8, respectively.

  Specifically, section A is “1”, section B is “2”, section C is “3”, section D is “4”, section E is “5”, and section F is “6”. ", The section G is replaced with" 7 "and the section H is replaced with" 8 ". The “upper” area is “1”, the “upper right” area is “2”, the “right” area is “3”, the “lower right” area is “4”, and the “lower” area is “5”. The “lower left” area is output as “6”, the “left” area is replaced with “7”, and the “upper left” area is replaced with “8”.

  For example, in the state where the steering wheel 62 is in the state shown in FIG. 2B, when the driver hits the uppermost part of the steering wheel 62, the calculation unit 40 estimates that the detection position is the section G. Further, a measurement signal indicating that the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62 is 90 ° is input from the rotation angle sensor unit 20 to the calculation unit 40. The calculation unit 40 performs a calculation process for substituting “7”, which is a number corresponding to the section G, into L in the relational expression described above, and substituting “45” into R to obtain D. As a result of the calculation, it is determined that the hit position is the “upper” region from D = 1.

Since the processing contents in the following calculation unit 40 and control unit 45 are the same as the processing contents in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.
According to the above configuration, by using the relational expression that defines the relationship between the rotation angle of the steering wheel 62, the detection position, and the hitting position, the method is compared with a method that uses a table that defines these three relationships. Thus, a small capacity is required to store the relational expression.

  Note that the relational expression used in the present embodiment is applied when the hit positions are eight regions. When the hit positions are more than eight or less, the numerical values in the relational expressions are used. It is used by changing as appropriate.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information input device, 10RU, 10LU, 10RD, 10LD ... Input sensor part (vibration measurement part), 20 ... Rotation angle sensor part (rotation angle measurement part), 40 ... Calculation part, 45 ... Control part, 60 ... Steering Part (steering part), 61 ... steering shaft (rotating shaft), 70 ... in-vehicle equipment (controlled equipment)

Claims (8)

An information input device that detects information input by a driver hitting a steering unit that steers the vehicle by rotating around a rotation axis, and outputs operation information to a controlled device based on the input information. There,
At least two vibration measuring units that measure vibrations generated in the steering unit due to the driver's tapping;
A rotation angle measuring unit for measuring a rotation angle of the steering unit;
Based on the measurement signal of the vibration measurement unit and the measurement signal of the rotation angle measurement unit, a calculation unit that calculates a hit position that is a portion hitting the steering unit based on the driver;
The operation information corresponding to the hit position is stored in advance,
A control unit that selects the operation information corresponding to the hit position calculated by the calculation unit based on the correspondence stored in advance, and outputs a control signal related to the selected operation information to the controlled device; ,
An information input device characterized in that is provided. The computing unit is
Based on the measurement signal of the vibration measurement unit, calculate a detection position that is a position where the steering unit is hit with respect to the steering unit,
2. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection position is converted into the hit position based on a measurement signal from the rotation angle measurement unit. In the calculation unit,
A table defining the relationship between the rotation angle of the steering unit measured by the rotation angle measurement unit, the detection position, and the hitting position is stored in advance.
The information input device according to claim 2, wherein the hit position is obtained based on the table, the detection position, and a rotation angle of the steering unit. In the calculation unit,
A relational expression that defines the relationship between the rotation angle of the steering unit measured by the rotation angle measurement unit, the detection position, and the hitting position is stored in advance.
The information input device according to claim 2, wherein the hitting position is calculated based on the relational expression, the detection position, and a rotation angle of the steering unit.   5. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation angle measurement unit is a rotation angle sensor that measures a rotation angle of the rotation shaft in the steering unit. 6.   The rotation angle measurement unit measures a reaction force acting on the steering unit when the steering unit is rotated, and estimates a rotation angle of the steering unit based on the magnitude of the measured reaction force. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein the information input device is provided.   5. The rotation angle measurement unit captures the steering unit and estimates a rotation angle of the steering unit based on image data of the steering unit. 6. The information input device according to item.   The rotation angle measuring unit measures the driver's movement and estimates the rotation angle of the steering unit from the measured movement of the driver. The information input device according to item.

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