JP2013160778A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To implement a vehicle control device which is capable of appropriately outputting the voice of a speech disabled person in accordance with a vehicle driving state and making it possible for a driver to easily hear the voice output of the speech disabled person to allow appropriate conversations between him or her and the driver.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 2 including display means 3 for displaying information, voice output means 4 for outputting voice, and control means 5 for controlling the display means 3 and the voice output means 4 includes a keyboard 6 also. The control means 5 displays characters inputted by key operations on the keyboard 6, on the display means 3 and, in response to the execution of a prescribed key operation on the keyboard 6, outputs the characters displayed on the display means 3 with a sound volume set on the basis of a vehicle state by the voice output means 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more particularly to a vehicle control device capable of supporting a conversation with a driver of a speech disabled person.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 discloses a technique for supporting a conversation of a speech disabled person who has a disability in a conversation with another person. An audio output device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a right-hand keyboard having a key operated by a right-hand finger, a left-hand keyboard having a key operated by a left-hand finger, and an audio output unit that outputs sound. And a control unit that outputs a sound by a sound output unit in accordance with a pressing combination of a key of the right-hand keyboard and a key of the left-hand keyboard.

JP 2009-42397 A

However, as a support for the conversation of the speech disabled person by the voice output device of Patent Document 1, for example, when a conversation with the driver is assumed by getting on the vehicle, the voice output unit of the voice output apparatus Since it is worn on the body, depending on the sitting position, voice output cannot be performed in the direction of the driver, and there is a problem that it is difficult to hear the voice output of the speech disabled person.
Further, in the vehicle, since the voice guidance output for driving assistance by the navigation device of the in-vehicle device is performed depending on the driving situation, when the voice guidance output for driving assistance overlaps with the voice output by the voice output device of Patent Document 1, There is a problem that it becomes difficult for the driver to listen to the voice guidance output for driving assistance.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately perform voice output by a speech disabled person according to the driving situation of the vehicle, and to make it easy for the driver to hear the voice output by the speech disabled person, and to appropriately communicate with the driver. It aims at realizing the control device for vehicles which can talk.

  The present invention provides a vehicle control device comprising a display means for displaying information, a sound output means for outputting sound, and a control means for controlling the display means and the sound output means. The means displays the character input by the key operation of the keyboard on the display means, and the sound displayed by the display means when the predetermined key operation of the keyboard is performed at a volume set based on the vehicle state Voice output is performed by the voice output means.

In the present invention, a predetermined key operation of the keyboard is used as a trigger to output a voice by using a voice output means provided in the vehicle for a character input by the keyboard. Can be easily heard by the driver.
According to the present invention, since the sound is output at a volume set based on the vehicle state, it is possible to make it easy for the driver to hear the sound output by the disabled person when talking to the driver.
According to the present invention, since the characters input from the keyboard are displayed using the display means provided in the vehicle, the input content can be confirmed by the display means and then output by voice.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a vehicle control device. (Example) FIG. 2 is a control flowchart of the vehicle control device. (Example)

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a vehicle and 2 is a vehicle control device. The vehicle control device 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 includes a display unit 3 for displaying information, an audio output unit 4 for outputting sound, and a control unit 5 for controlling the display unit 3 and the audio output unit 4. Yes. The display means 3 and the sound output means 4 are composed of a display and a speaker included in an in-vehicle device such as an audio device, a hands-free telephone, a navigation device, and a telematic device provided in the vehicle 1. The control means 5 is, for example, a controller such as an engine and an engine controller that is integrated with the engine and controls the in-vehicle device.
The vehicle control device 2 includes a keyboard 6 for inputting characters, numbers and the like. The keyboard 6 has wireless transmission means 7 based on a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the wireless transmission means 7 transmits character data input by key operation. The control unit 5 includes a wireless reception unit 8 based on a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). Character data transmitted from the keyboard 6 is received by the wireless receiving means 8 of the control means 5.
When the control means 5 receives character data input by key operation of the keyboard 6, the control means 5 displays the input characters on the display means 3. At this time, the control means 5 holds the input characters in the input buffer 9. Further, when a predetermined key operation of the keyboard 6 is performed, for example, when the Enter key is pressed twice in succession, the control means 5 displays the characters displayed by the display means 3 based on the vehicle state. The sound is output by the sound output means 4 at the set volume. At this time, the control means 5 reads out the characters held in the input buffer 9 and outputs the sound by the sound output means 4.
Here, it is considered that the volume of the in-vehicle device is set in accordance with the convenience of the occupant of the vehicle 1. Therefore, based on the volume of the voice guidance of the set audio device, hands-free telephone, navigation device, telematic device, etc., the volume of the voice output by the voice output unit of the characters displayed by the display unit 3 is set to the default (default: Set the value in advance). Note that the volume of the audio output can be changed.
Further, the control means 5 outputs the characters displayed by the display means 3 by voice when a predetermined key operation of the keyboard 6 is performed, but rather than the voice output of the characters displayed by the display means 3. When a voice output request with a high priority is generated, a character displayed on the display means 3 is voiced after a voice with a high priority is output.
The display means 3 includes a start button 10 and an end button 11. When the start button 10 is turned on, the control unit 5 starts displaying the characters input by the keyboard 6 by the display unit 3 and the voice output by the voice output unit 4. In addition, when the end button 11 is turned on, the control unit 5 ends the control of the display by the display unit 3 of the characters input from the keyboard 6 and the voice output by the voice output unit 4.
In FIG. 1, the arrows indicate the data flow directions between the respective means 3 to 11, and do not indicate the connection states of the respective means 3 to 11.

Here, the cooperative control of the voice output of the character input by the speech disabled person and another voice output by the in-vehicle device will be described.
(1). Audio device When the audio device is turned on at the time of outputting the sound of the character input by the keyboard 6, control is performed so that the audio volume is lowered. Alternatively, when the audio device is turned on when the voice of the character input by the speech disabled person is output, control is performed to increase the volume of the audio output in accordance with the audio volume. In addition, when the voice of the character input by the speech disabled person is output, if it is assumed that the wind noise is high because the vehicle 1 is running and the vehicle speed is high, control is performed to increase the volume of the voice output.
(2). Hands-free telephones Normally, hands-free telephones are assumed to be used by drivers. Therefore, the position of the hands-free telephone microphone is adjusted so that the driver's speech is easily input. Therefore, the sound output from the normal vehicle-mounted speaker that is the sound output means 4 is not easily input to the handsfree telephone microphone. In addition, since the voice of the other party is output from the in-vehicle speaker, if the voice output from the in-vehicle speaker is input to the handsfree telephone microphone, the other party can hear his / her utterance as howling. End up. For this reason, it is desirable that the sound output from a normal vehicle-mounted speaker is less likely to be input to the handsfree telephone microphone.
From the above, when a speech disabled person who is a conversation support user wants to make a call using a hands-free telephone, it is difficult for the other party to hear even if voice is output from a normal in-vehicle speaker. Therefore, another small conversation support speaker is provided at the position where the voice of the handsfree telephone microphone is input, and the voice of the character input by the speech disabled person is output from the conversation support speaker during the handsfree call. In addition, when the driver can sufficiently hear the voice output from the conversation support speaker, the voice output may be always output from the conversation support speaker.
(3). Voice guidance of the navigation device If the voice guidance output by the navigation device and the voice output of the character input by the disabled person are performed simultaneously, it is difficult for the vehicle occupant to hear the content. The voice guidance of the navigation device is relatively short, and if the timing is missed, the guidance effect is lost, so it is considered that the priority is relatively high. Therefore, when the voice guidance output request of the navigation device and the voice output request of the character input by the speech disabled person occur at the same time, the voice guidance output of the navigation device is performed first, and after the voice guidance of the navigation device ends. Perform voice output of characters input by people with speech disabilities.
(4). Voice guidance of the telematics device If the voice guidance output of the telematics device and the voice output of characters input by the disabled person are performed simultaneously, it is difficult for the vehicle occupant to hear the content. The voice guidance of the telematics device is considered to have various lengths and priorities. Therefore, when the voice guidance output request of the telematics device and the voice output request of the character input by the speech disabled person occur at the same time, the voice guidance output of the telematics device and the speech disabled person input according to the length and priority Decide which of the character voice output should be done first.
In addition, when the voice guidance output of the telematics device and the voice output of the character input by the speech disabled person are performed with the same voice, a beep sound is generated before the voice output of the character input by the speech disabled person, etc. Be able to distinguish between the two.
(5). Warning sound of vehicle 1 The vehicle 1 may output a warning of failure or abnormality. If the warning voice output and the voice output of the character input by the disabled person are performed at the same time, it is difficult for the vehicle occupant to hear the content. If a warning voice output request and a voice output request for a character input by a speech disabled person occur at the same time, either the warning voice output request or the voice output request for a character input by a speech disabled person will be sent first, depending on the priority. Decide what to do.

In addition, cooperative control between the display of characters input by the disabled person and other displays will be described.
When another display request is generated while the character input by the speech disabled person is displayed on the display means 3, the other display is given priority. In this case, it is before the voice output of the character input by the speech disabled person that the display is performed by switching to the display of the character input by the speech disabled person. In this case, the characters already input by the speech disabled person are stored in the input buffer 9, and when the speech disabled person makes a re-display request, the input characters are not required to be input again from the keyboard 6. Can be displayed on the display means 3.
The request for redisplaying the input characters is made when the speech disabled person presses a predetermined key operation on the keyboard 6 in advance, for example, an escape (Esc) key twice in succession.

Next, conversation support control by the vehicle control device 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the control program starts (S01), the vehicle control device 2 determines whether the start button 10 is ON (S02).
If this determination (S02) is NO, this determination (S02) is repeated. If this determination (S02) is YES, the character data held in the input buffer 9 is cleared (S03), the display on the display means 3 is switched to the input confirmation display (S04), and input by key operation from the keyboard 6 is performed. (S05).
If this determination (S05) is NO, this determination (S05) is repeated. If this determination (S05) is YES, it is determined whether there is an input by pressing the enter key twice (S06).
If this determination (S06) is YES, the character held in the input buffer 9 is output as voice by the voice output means 4 (S07), the character data held in the input buffer 9 is cleared (S08), and the voice is already output. The display by the display means 3 is updated so that the displayed character is not displayed (S09), and it is determined whether the end button 11 is ON (S10).
If this determination (S10) is NO, the process returns to the determination (S05). If this determination (S10) is YES, the display by the display means 3 is switched to the original display (S11), and the program is ended (S12).
On the other hand, if it is determined that there is an input by pressing the enter key twice (S06), it is determined whether there is an input by pressing the escape key twice (S13).
When this determination (S13) is YES, the display of the display means 3 is switched to the input confirmation display (S14), and the display shifts to the display update by the display means 3 (S09). If this determination (S13) is NO, the character data held in the input buffer 9 is updated (S15), and the display means 3 updates the display to include the newly input characters (S09). Migrate to

The sound volume of the sound output (S07) by the sound output means 4 is based on the sound volume output by an in-vehicle device such as an audio device, a hands-free telephone, a navigation device, or a telematic device as in the above-described cooperative control of sound output. Set the volume so that the driver can easily hear it.
Further, in the voice output (S07) by the voice output means 4, the voice output of the character input by the speech disabled person, the voice guidance output request of the navigation device or the telematics device, and the warning voice output request of the vehicle 1 overlap. If it is determined that the voice output of the character input by the speech disabled person, the voice guidance output, or the warning voice output is performed first according to the priority, the voice output is performed.
Further, when there is an input by key operation from the keyboard 6 (S05: YES), when another display request is generated while the character input by the speech disabled person is displayed on the display means 3, As with coordinated display control, priority is given to other displays.

As described above, the vehicle control device 2 uses the voice output means 4 provided in the vehicle 1 for the characters input from the keyboard 6 using a predetermined key operation by pressing the enter key of the keyboard 6 twice in succession as a trigger. Therefore, the driver can easily hear the voice output by the speech disabled person when talking to the driver.
In addition, since the vehicle control device 2 outputs a sound at a volume set based on the vehicle state, it is possible to make it easier for the driver to hear the sound output by the disabled person when talking to the driver.
Further, since the vehicle control device 2 displays the characters input from the keyboard 6 using the display means 3 provided in the vehicle 1, it is possible to output the sound after confirming the input content by the display means 3. it can.
In addition, the vehicle control device 2 has a voice output request with a higher priority than voice output of characters displayed by the display means 3 when a predetermined key operation is performed by pressing the enter key of the keyboard 6 twice in succession. Is generated, the character displayed on the display means 3 is output as a sound after a high priority sound is output.
As described above, since the vehicle control device 2 outputs the voice output of the characters input from the keyboard 6 in cooperation with other voice output requests, the speech disabled person can output the voice without considering the vehicle state. It is possible to concentrate on operation and improve usability when talking with the driver.

  The present invention can appropriately perform voice output by a speech disabled person according to the driving situation of the vehicle, and can make it easier for a driver to hear the voice output by a speech disabled person. It is possible to support conversations with different speakers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Control apparatus for vehicles 3 Display means 4 Audio | voice output means 5 Control means 6 Keyboard 7 Wireless transmission means 8 Wireless reception means 9 Input buffer 10 Start button 11 End button

Claims (2)

  In a vehicle control device comprising a display means for displaying information, a sound output means for outputting sound, and a control means for controlling the display means and the sound output means, the vehicle control device comprises a keyboard, Characters inputted by key operation of a keyboard are displayed on the display means, and the voice output means at a volume set based on a vehicle state when the characters displayed on the display means when a predetermined key operation on the keyboard is performed A vehicle control device that outputs a sound using   The control means has a higher priority when a voice output request having a higher priority than the voice output of the characters displayed by the display means is generated when a predetermined key operation of the keyboard is performed. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein after the voice is output, the character displayed by the display means is output as a voice.

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