JP3790365B2 - In-vehicle input device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an in-vehicle input device that performs intensive operation of various on-vehicle electronic devices with a single manual operation unit, and in particular, a driver can feel the suitability of the operation of the manual operation unit with a blind touch. It relates to the means to make.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Modern automobiles are equipped with many electronic devices such as air conditioners, radios, televisions, CD players, navigation systems and the like. If you try to operate such a large number of electronic devices individually, it may interfere with the driving of the car, so you can switch on and off the desired electronic devices and select functions while encouraging safe driving. In order to facilitate adjustment of the functions that have been performed, a vehicle-mounted input device that can perform all these operations by operating one manual operation unit has been proposed.
[0003]
8 to 13 show the configuration of an in-vehicle input device conventionally proposed. FIG. 8 is an inner surface view of an automobile equipped with an in-vehicle input device, FIG. 9 is a side view of the in-vehicle input device according to a conventional example, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of a manual operation unit constituting the in-vehicle input device. 11 is a plan view of a guide plate constituting the in-vehicle input device, and FIG. 12 is a table showing the relationship between the engagement position of the engagement pin with respect to the guide groove and the selected function when an air conditioner is selected by the switch device. FIG. 13 is a table showing the relationship between the engagement position of the engagement pin with respect to the guide groove and the selected function when the radio is selected by the switch device.
[0004]
As shown in FIG. 8, the in-vehicle input device 100 of this example is provided in a console box 200 provided between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of an automobile.
[0005]
As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the in-vehicle input device 100 of this example includes two click switches 111 and 112 and three rotary variable resistors 113, 114 and 115 as signal input means. Manual operation unit 110, the XY table 120 driven by the manual operation unit 110 in the X direction and the Y direction orthogonal thereto, and a position to input a signal corresponding to the operation direction and the operation amount of the XY table 120 It mainly comprises a stick controller 130 as a signal input means and a guide plate 140 engaged with the manual operation unit 110 via the XY table 120.
[0006]
The manual operation unit 110 and the XY table 120 are integrally connected via a connecting shaft 150, and the XY table 120 and the guide plate 140 are tips of engagement pins 160 that protrude from the lower surface of the XY table 120. The portion is engaged by being movably inserted into a guide groove 141 formed on the upper surface of the guide plate 140. As shown in FIG. 11, the guide groove 141 has three longitudinal grooves 141a, 141b, and 141c arranged at a constant interval, and one guide groove that connects the central portions of the three longitudinal grooves 141a, 141b, and 141c. Each of the grooves 141a to 141d has a width that allows the engagement pin 160 to move only in the length direction. Accordingly, the manual operation unit 110 and the XY table 120 are arranged in the X direction (longitudinal direction of the lateral groove 141d) and the Y direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction of the longitudinal grooves 141a to 141c) within the range of the pattern and size of the guide groove 141. Can only move to.
[0007]
As shown in FIGS. 11A to 11, the function switching of the on-board electronic device is performed by moving the engagement pin 160 to one of the end portions or the intermediate portions of the vertical grooves 141 a, 141 b, and 141 c. The operation can be performed by operating one of the two click switches 111 and 112 provided in the manual operation unit 110. That is, in this way, position information regarding the engagement position between the engagement pin 160 and the guide groove 141 selected by operating the manual operation unit 110 and the XY table 120 can be output from the stick controller 130. Therefore, it is possible to select a function to be operated of the electronic device mounted on the vehicle using the position signal.
[0008]
The function of the electronic device selected by operating the manual operation unit 110 and the click switch 111 or 112 is the same as that of the three rotary variable resistors 113, 114, 115 provided in the manual operation unit 110. It can be adjusted by operating either one.
[0009]
The in-vehicle input device 100 configured as described above includes a switch device that selectively selects a desired electronic device to be operated from a plurality of on-vehicle electronic devices, and an electronic device selected by the switch device. Each electronic device is operated intensively in combination with a display device that displays the name of the device and the content of the operation by the in-vehicle input device 100 and a computer that controls these devices.
[0010]
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a switch device 170 comprising a combination of a plurality of (five in the example of FIG. 8) switches 171a to 171e is provided in the vicinity of the setting unit of the in-vehicle input device 100 in the console box 200. In addition, a display device 180 such as a liquid crystal display device is provided in a portion that is easy to see from the driver's seat of the console box 200. Since the computer is provided in the console box 200, the illustration is omitted.
[0011]
Each of the switches 171a to 171e provided in the switch device 170 is individually connected to a plurality of electronic devices mounted on the vehicle. For example, if each of the switches 171a, 171b, 171c, 171d, and 171e is individually connected to an air conditioner, radio, television, CD player, and navigation system mounted on the vehicle, the air conditioner can be operated by operating the switch 171a. The radio can be alternatively selected by operating the switch 171b. The same applies to other electronic devices. Therefore, a desired electronic device can be turned on or off by operating each of the switches 171a to 171e provided in the switch device 170.
[0012]
The function selection and function adjustment of the electronic device selected by the switch device 170 can be performed by operating the in-vehicle input device 100. The functions that can be selected by the in-vehicle input device 100 differ depending on the type of the selected electronic device. For example, when the air conditioner is selected by the switch device 170, the relationship between the engagement positions A to I of the engagement pin 160 with respect to the guide groove 141 shown in FIG. 11 and the selected function is as shown in FIG. When the radio is selected by the switch device 170, the relationship between the engagement positions A to I and the selected function is as shown in FIG.
[0013]
On the other hand, the functions that can be adjusted by the in-vehicle input device 100 also differ depending on the type and function of the selected electronic device. For example, when the air conditioner is selected by the switch device 170 and “air volume adjustment” is selected by the manual operation unit 110, the air volume of the air conditioner is adjusted by operating the first rotary variable resistor 113. When the air conditioner is selected by the switch device 170 and “temperature adjustment” is selected by the manual operation unit 110, the set temperature of the air conditioner is operated by operating the second rotary variable resistor 114. Can be adjusted. On the other hand, when the radio is selected by the switch device 170 and “volume adjustment” is selected by the manual operation unit 110, the volume of the radio is adjusted by operating the first rotary variable resistor 113. When the radio is selected by the switch device 170 and “tuning” is selected by the manual operation unit 110, the radio can be adjusted by operating the second rotary variable resistor 114. Can be tuned.
[0014]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, since this kind of vehicle-mounted input device is operated even while the automobile is in operation, the manual operation unit 110 is desired from the viewpoint of ensuring safe driving and convenience of use. It is preferable to check whether or not the function has been switched to a selectable position by blind touch.
[0015]
However, since the in-vehicle input device 100 according to the conventional example is not provided with such a function, the operation position of the manual operation unit 110 or the display of the display device 180 must be visually confirmed. was there.
[0016]
Incidentally, in an apparatus for controlling the advance or stop of a vehicle by operating a joystick, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-81142, a large number of movable protrusions are provided on the grip portion of the joystick and driven. Conventionally, it has been proposed that the position of the movable protrusion is determined by the tactile sensation of the hand or finger so that feedback information from the sensor can be sensed by blind touch.
[0017]
However, according to such a configuration, since a large number of movable protrusions of the same shape and size are arranged in a narrow area and the vibration patterns of the respective movable protrusions are the same, the position of the driven movable protrusion is manually controlled. Alternatively, it is practically difficult to make an accurate determination based on the tactile sensation of a finger and, in turn, to obtain necessary information by blind touch, and it is difficult to directly apply the technology to an in-vehicle input device.
[0018]
The present invention has been made to solve such deficiencies in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle input device excellent in operability by blind touch.
[0019]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a manual operation unit having one or more signal input units, a position signal input unit that inputs a signal corresponding to the position of the manual operation unit, and the manual operation unit. A guide unit that regulates an operation range of the operation unit and the XY table; and a vibration device that is provided in the manual operation unit and generates vibrations in different modes depending on an operation position of the manual operation unit with respect to the guide unit. An in-vehicle input device is configured.
[0020]
By operating the manual operation unit to position the engagement pin in any part of the guide groove formed in the guide unit and operating the click switch provided in the manual operation unit, the position signal input unit such as a stick controller A position signal corresponding to the engagement position between the guide groove and the engagement pin is input to the control unit. The control unit outputs a drive signal for the vibration device corresponding to the input position signal, and causes the vibration device to vibrate in a mode corresponding to the drive signal.
[0021]
Thus, when the vibration means is provided in the manual operation section and vibrations of different modes are generated according to the operation position of the manual operation section with respect to the guide means (guide groove), the driver passes through the casing of the manual operation section. Depending on the difference in vibration mode transmitted to the hand, it is possible to determine whether or not the operation position of the manual operation unit matches the desired position by blind touch. Therefore, the operability of the in-vehicle input device is further improved and the use becomes convenient.
[0022]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of an in-vehicle input device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an in-vehicle input device according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a guide plate according to the embodiment, and FIG. 4-4 is a cross-sectional view of the stick controller, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the manual operation unit, and FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram illustrating a vibration mode applied to the manual operation unit.
[0023]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an in-vehicle input device according to the embodiment, reference numeral 10 denotes a housing that houses a mechanism portion of the in-vehicle input device 1, and reference numeral 11 denotes a panel provided on the opening side of the housing 10. Reference numeral 20 is an XY table, reference numeral 30 is an engagement pin, reference numeral 40 is a guide plate as guide means, reference numeral 50 is a solenoid as guide plate driving means, reference numeral 60 is a stick controller as position signal input means, and reference numeral 70 is manual. In addition, the same reference numerals are shown for members or elements equivalent to those shown in the previous drawings, showing the operation unit.
[0024]
As apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 10 is formed in a rectangular tube shape that can accommodate the XY table 20, the engagement pin 30, the guide plate 40, the solenoid 50, and the stick controller 60. The partition plate 12 for holding the guide plate 40 and the stick controller 60 is provided. The partition plate 12 is provided with a through hole 13 for passing through the drive shaft 51 of the solenoid 50. In addition, the panel 11 provided on the opening side of the housing 10 is provided with a through hole 14 for penetrating the connecting shaft 150 that connects the manual operation unit 70 and the XY table 20.
[0025]
As apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the XY table 20 includes a loop-shaped slider 21 connected to the manual operation unit 70 via a connecting shaft 150, two X-direction guide rods 22 and 23, Two Y-direction guide rods 24 and 25, a slider block 26 disposed in the slider 21 and holding the slider 21 movably in the X and Y directions via the guide rods 22 to 25; It comprises a spring 27 as a center return mechanism that constantly urges the center of the slider 21 in a direction to match the center of the slider block 26 and a connecting portion 28 for operating the operation lever 61 of the stick controller 60.
[0026]
In the first side surface portion of the slider block 26, two through holes for slidably penetrating the X-direction guide rods 22 and 23 are opened in parallel with a predetermined interval, and the first Two through holes for slidably penetrating the Y-direction guide rods 24 and 25 are opened in parallel to each other at a predetermined interval on the second side surface orthogonal to the first side surface. . The X-direction guide rods 22 and 23 are slidably inserted into through holes formed in the first side surface of the slider block 26, and both ends thereof are opposed to each other as shown in FIG. Are held on two sides. On the other hand, the two Y-direction guide rods 24 and 25 are slidably penetrated through holes formed in the second side surface portion of the slider block 26, and both end portions thereof are as shown in FIGS. Are held on two opposite surfaces of the slider 21. Therefore, the slider 21 is free to move in both the X direction (direction along the X direction guide rods 22 and 23) and the Y direction (direction along the Y direction guide rods 24 and 25) with respect to the slider block 26. Can be moved to.
[0027]
The engagement pin 30 is attached downward to the center of the lower surface of the slider 21. A small-diameter ball 31 is accommodated at the tip of the engagement pin 30 so as to be movable up and down, and is always urged downward by a spring 32 provided in the engagement pin 30. The small-diameter ball 31 is set so that a part of the small-diameter ball 31 protrudes downward from the tip end portion of the engagement pin 30 and is elastically brought into contact with the bottom surface of the guide groove 41 formed in the guide plate 40. .
[0028]
On the upper surface of the guide plate 40, as shown in FIG. 3, there are three vertical grooves 41a, 41b, 41c, and one horizontal groove 41d that connects the central portions of the three vertical grooves 41a, 41b, 41c. A guide groove 41 is formed, and shallow arc-shaped recesses 42 are formed on the bottom surfaces of the end portions and the central portions of the grooves 41a to 41d. As shown in FIG. 1, the guide plate 40 is attached to the upper surface of the partition plate 12 so as to be movable up and down, and is connected to a drive shaft 51 of a solenoid 50. In addition, a spring 43 is provided between the guide plate 40 and the upper surface of the partition plate 12 to constantly bias the guide plate 40 upward. Accordingly, the guide plate 40 is always moved upward by the elastic force of the spring 43 when the solenoid 50 is not energized, and is moved downward by the suction force of the solenoid 50 when the solenoid 50 is energized.
[0029]
The height position of the guide plate 40 when the solenoid 50 is not energized is such that the engagement pin 30 is engaged in the guide groove 41, and the small-diameter ball 31 provided at the tip of the engagement pin 30. Is set to a height position at which it can be elastically brought into contact with the bottom surface of the guide groove 41 by the elastic force of the spring 32. Further, the height position of the guide plate 40 when the solenoid 50 is energized is set to a height at which the engagement between the guide groove 41 and the engagement pin 30 can be released.
[0030]
The stick controller 60 is mounted on the partition plate 12, and its operation lever 61 is swingably connected to a connecting portion 28 provided on the slider 21 of the XY table 20. As the stick controller 60, any known controller can be used. However, since the structure is simple and the position detection accuracy is high, the stick controller 60 is swingably provided in a housing 62 as shown in FIG. Operating lever 61, a conversion unit 65 that converts the angle and direction of inclination of the operating lever 61 into the amount of rotation of two rotating bodies 63, 64 arranged in a direction perpendicular to each other, and the two rotating bodies 63, Particularly suitable are two rotary variable resistors or encoders 66 and 67 that convert 64 rotation amounts into electrical signals.
[0031]
As the manual operation unit 70, as in the case of the manual operation unit 110 shown in the conventional example, one having two click switches 112 and 113 and three rotary variable resistors 113, 114 and 115 is used. It is done. As shown in FIG. 6, a vibration device 72 is provided on the inner surface of the casing 71 constituting the manual operation unit 70, and engages with any of a total of nine recesses 42 formed in the guide groove 41. When a small-diameter ball 31 provided on the pin 30 is engaged and one of the two click switches 111 and 112 provided on the manual operation unit 70 is operated, a specific characteristic corresponding to the position of the depression 42 is obtained. Vibration is generated so that the driver can perceive whether or not the switching position of the guide groove 41 selected by the driver is a desired switching position. FIG. 7 illustrates the vibration mode at each switching position. Switching of the vibration mode is performed by a computer provided in the console box 200 (see FIG. 8) according to the position signal output from the stick controller 60.
[0032]
As the vibration device 72, a device using a solenoid or a piezo element as a drive source is particularly suitable because of its simple configuration. In addition, a weight is eccentrically attached to the motor shaft. Yu A vibrator having a weight attached to the tip of an elastic body made of a ferromagnetic material and the elastic body being excited by an electromagnet can also be used. In the example of FIG. 6, the vibration device 72 is directly attached to the casing of the manual operation unit 70, but in order to transmit a large vibration to the driver using a small vibration device, vibration is generated inside the casing. It is also possible to provide a plate and attach the vibration device 72 to the diaphragm.
[0033]
Similarly to the in-vehicle input device 100 according to the conventional example, the in-vehicle input device 1 according to the present embodiment also selectively selects a desired electronic device to be operated from a plurality of in-vehicle electronic devices. Switch device 170, the name of the electronic device selected by the switch device 170, the display device 180 that displays the contents of the operation by the in-vehicle input device 1, and the computer provided in the console box 200 that controls these devices Combined with (not shown), the required function is exhibited.
[0034]
Hereinafter, the operation of the in-vehicle input device 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
[0035]
The in-vehicle input device 1 according to the present embodiment can switch the guide groove 41 and the engagement pin 30 to the engaged state or the disengaged state by switching the energization to the solenoid 50 on or off. . That is, when the solenoid 50 is in a non-energized state, the guide plate 40 is raised by the elastic force of the spring 43 and the engagement pin 30 is engaged with the guide groove 41. In this case, the function of each electronic device mounted on the vehicle and the adjustment of the selected function can be performed by the same method as the vehicle-mounted input device 100 according to the conventional example. The in-vehicle input device 1 according to the present embodiment forms a total of nine recesses 42 at the ends and the center of each of the grooves 41 a to 41 d constituting the guide groove 41, and the engagement pin 30. Since the small-diameter ball 31 can be inserted and removed at the distal end portion, when the manual operation portion 70 is operated and the contact position of the engagement pin 30 with respect to the guide groove 41 is switched, the recess 42 and the ball 31 are engaged. Every time you do, you can give the driver a click. Therefore, the function switching of the electronic device by the blind touch becomes easier and more reliable, and the malfunction of the function switching due to the operation mistake can be reduced.
[0036]
In addition, the in-vehicle input device 1 according to the present embodiment includes the vibration device 72 in the manual operation unit, and generates vibrations in different modes for each switching position of the manual operation unit 70. By sensing the vibration, it can be confirmed by blind touch whether or not the manual operation unit 70 is operated at a desired switching position. Therefore, switching errors of the manual operation unit 70 can be reduced, and the operation mistakes of the electronic equipment associated therewith can be reduced.
[0037]
On the other hand, when the solenoid 50 is switched to the energized state, the drive shaft 51 is attracted downward, and the guide plate 40 is lowered against the elastic force of the spring 43. Therefore, the engagement between the guide groove 41 and the engagement pin 30 is released, and the manual operation unit 70 can be freely operated within the operating range of the XY table 20 without being restrained by the guide groove 41. Therefore, for example, when using a navigation system, a personal computer, or a computer game, the cursor displayed on the display can be moved using the manual operation unit 70.
[0038]
When the use of the personal computer 70 is finished and the manual operation unit 70 of the on-vehicle input device is used for switching the functions of various electronic devices mounted on the vehicle again, the hand is released from the manual operation unit 70 and the solenoid 50 is energized. You can decline. Since the XY table 20 is provided with a spring 27 as a center return mechanism, the XY table 20 automatically returns to the center position when the hand is released from the manual operation unit 70, and the XY table 20 is attached to the XY table 20. The mating pin 30 is in the center of the guide groove 41, that is, the switching position. A Move to the opposite part. Therefore, even if the solenoid 50 is de-energized and the guide plate 40 is lifted by the elastic force of the spring 43, the engagement pin 30 and the guide plate 40 do not collide, and the usage form of the manual operation unit 70 is easily achieved. Can be switched.
[0039]
The gist of the present invention resides in that the manual operation unit 70 is provided with the vibration device 71, and the configuration of other parts can be omitted or added as necessary.
[0040]
For example, in the embodiment described above, a total of nine indentations 42 are formed at the end and the center of each of the grooves 41 a to 41 d constituting the guide groove 41, and a small-diameter ball 31 is formed at the tip of the engagement pin 30. The driver is given a click feeling when the manual operation unit 70 is operated, but such a configuration may be omitted.
[0041]
In the above-described embodiment, the manual operation unit 70 and the stick controller 60 are indirectly connected via the XY table 20, but it is of course possible to directly connect both the members 70 and 60. . Further, instead of the XY table 20, another moving member can be interposed between the manual operation unit 70 and the stick controller 60.
[0042]
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the solenoid 50 is used as the guide plate driving means. However, the gist of the present invention is not limited to this, and the motor and the rotational force of the motor are converted into the moving force in the vertical direction. It is also possible to use a power transmission mechanism.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application includes the vibration device in the manual operation unit, and generates vibrations in different modes for each operation position of the manual operation unit. Whether or not the manual operation unit is operated at the operation position can be sensed by a blind touch, and switching errors of the manual operation unit can be reduced without harming the safe driving of the automobile.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an in-vehicle input device according to an embodiment.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a guide plate according to an embodiment.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a stick controller.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a manual operation unit.
FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram illustrating a vibration mode applied to the manual operation unit.
FIG. 8 is an internal view of an automobile provided with an in-vehicle input device.
FIG. 9 is a side view of an in-vehicle input device according to a conventional example.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a manual operation unit according to a conventional example.
FIG. 11 is a plan view of a guide plate according to a conventional example.
FIG. 12 is a table showing a relationship between an engagement position of an engagement pin with respect to a guide groove and a selected function when an air conditioner is selected by a switch device.
FIG. 13 is a table showing a relationship between an engagement position of an engagement pin with respect to a guide groove and a selected function when a radio is selected by the switch device.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 In-vehicle input device
10 housing
11 Panel
12 Partition plate
13,14 Through hole
20 XY table
21 Slider
22, 23 X direction guide rod
24, 25 Y direction guide rod
26 Slider block
27 Spring
28 Connecting part
30 engaging pin
31 balls
32 Spring
40 Guide plate
41 Guide groove
42 Recess
43 Spring
50 Solenoid
51 Drive shaft
60 stick controller
61 Control lever
66, 67 Variable resistor or encoder
70 Manual operation unit
71 Vibration device

Claims (1)

A manual operation unit provided with one or more signal input units, a position signal input unit for inputting a signal corresponding to the position of the manual operation unit, a guide unit for regulating the operating range of the manual operation unit, An in-vehicle input device comprising: a vibration device that is provided in the manual operation unit and generates vibrations in different modes depending on an operation position of the manual operation unit with respect to the guide unit.

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