JP4155815B2 - In-vehicle operation device and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an in-vehicle operation device and a control method thereof for manually operating one or more electronic devices mounted on the vehicle, and more particularly to an in-vehicle operation device having a stick-type operation unit and a control method thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, many electronic devices such as an air conditioner, a radio, a TV, a CD (compact disc) player, and a navigation device have been mounted on vehicles. However, it is very dangerous to operate each electronic device with an individually prepared operation panel because it reduces the driver's attention to driving.
[0003]
In order to solve such a problem, there is a technique for enabling one or more electronic devices to be operated with a single operation device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0004]
Such an operation device generally has a stick-type manual operation unit. The user moves the manual operation unit in the two-dimensional direction or the three-dimensional direction to operate the target electronic device.
[0005]
In addition, there is a technique for performing an operation of an electronic device using such a stick-type manual operation unit by a blind touch and a technique for confirming an electronic device currently targeted without visual inspection (for example, Patent Document 1). Or refer to Patent Document 2).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-339601 [Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-265456
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a manual operation unit capable of two-dimensional operation or three-dimensional operation, when the traveling direction or speed changes due to acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle or due to a curve or the like, acceleration G is generated and force is applied to the operation unit. . For this reason, problems such as a malfunction of the manual operation unit or a change in the force required for the operation and a loss of the operational feeling occur.
[0008]
As a method of avoiding such a problem, it is conceivable that the manual operation unit is made of a material that is as light as possible. However, this impairs the design freedom of the manual operation unit, and the aesthetics such as quality and texture are reduced. The problem arises that the pursuit of elements is limited.
[0009]
In addition, a method of supporting the manual operation unit with an elastic member such as a spring, a method of increasing the rotational torque of the manual operation unit, and the like are conceivable. The problem of being damaged occurs.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle operation device and a control method thereof that do not cause malfunction or change in operation feeling without impairing design freedom. .
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides an on-vehicle operating device for operating at least one electronic device mounted on a vehicle, an acceleration detecting means for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle, and a two-dimensional And calculating the integral value of the change amount of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting means for a predetermined period when the integrated value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. It is comprised so that it may have with the operation part control means which fixes the said operation part .
[0015]
In addition, the present invention is a control method for an in-vehicle operation device for controlling a manual operation unit mounted on a vehicle and to which a force generated by a motor is applied, and includes a first step of detecting acceleration of the vehicle, A second step of generating a control voltage for driving the motor based on the acceleration detected in the first step; and a control voltage generated in the second step is input to the motor. A third step, a fourth step of calculating an integral value of a change amount of the acceleration detected in the first step for a predetermined period, and the integral value calculated in the fourth step being a predetermined value or more. The second step is for fixing the manual operation unit when the integrated value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value in the fifth step. The motor generates Configured to generate the control voltage for.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an in-vehicle operation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle operation device 1 includes a manual operation unit 70 having a knob 71 for operation by a user at an upper part, a case 10 that houses a mechanism portion of the manual operation unit 70, and a case 10 Panel portion 11 provided on the opening side of the XY table, an XY table 20 for two-dimensionally operating the manual operation portion 70, and an engagement pin 30 for engaging the manual operation portion 70 with the guide groove 41 of the guide plate 40. A guide plate 40 provided with a guide groove 41 for guiding a two-dimensional operation, a solenoid 50 for driving the guide plate 40, and a stick controller 60 for detecting the position of the manual operation unit 70. Configured.
[0020]
In this configuration, the housing 10 is formed on a rectangular tube that can accommodate the XY table 20, the engagement pin 30, the guide plate 40, the solenoid 50, and the stick controller 60, and the guide plate 40 and the stick are included therein. A partition plate 12 for holding the controller 60 is provided. The partition plate 12 is provided with a through hole 13 for penetrating the drive shaft 51 of the solenoid 50. In addition, a through-hole 14 is formed in the panel unit 11 provided on the upper side of the housing 10 so as to pass through a connecting shaft 150 that connects the manual operation unit 70 and the XY table 20.
[0021]
Next, the XY table 20 having the above configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. Moreover, FIG. 2C shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the XY table 20 is fixed to the X-direction slider block 21 in which the connecting shaft 150 of the manual operation unit 70 is inserted, and to the inside of the X-direction slider block 21. The two Y-direction guide rods 24, 25 are provided so as to have a Y-direction slide block 26 slidably provided in the Y-direction inside the housing 20A. The X-direction slider block 21 is in contact with the inner wall of the housing 20A so as to be slidable in the X direction, and is engaged with the inner wall of the housing 20A so as to be slidable in the Y direction. By sliding 22 and 23, the slide to the X direction is possible. The X-direction slide block 21 is provided with a through hole 29 into which the connecting shaft 150 is slidably inserted in the Y direction. Further, each guide rod 22, 23, 24, 25 is centered to urge the center of the X-direction slider block 21 and the Y-direction slider block 26, that is, the connecting shaft 150 in a direction that always matches the reference position. A spring 27 as a mechanism is provided. Furthermore, the Y-direction slide block 26 has a connecting portion 28 to which the operation lever 61 of the stick controller 60 is fixed. By combining such an XY table 20 and the connecting portion 150, the knob 71 provided on the upper portion of the connecting portion 150 can be moved in the two-dimensional direction of XY.
[0022]
Further, in such a configuration, each slide block 21, 26 is applied with a reaction force for canceling the acceleration generated in the system in the vehicle, which will be described in detail later, to the manual operation unit 70. An X-direction control motor 91, a Y-direction control motor 92, and an X-direction control rail 93 and a Y-direction control rail 94 that are respectively engaged with gears provided thereon are provided. Further, a control voltage generated by a control voltage generator 95 based on acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor 96 described later is input to each of the motors 91 and 92.
[0023]
Further, an engagement pin 30 is provided at the lower part of the connecting portion 150 in FIG. 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 ball 31 protrudes downward from the tip 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.
[0024]
Next, the shape of the guide plate 40 will be described below with reference to FIG. On the upper surface of the guide plate 40, as shown in FIG. 3A, there are three longitudinal grooves 41a, 41b, 41c and one central portion connecting these three longitudinal grooves 41a, 41b, 41c. A guide groove 41 composed of a lateral groove 41d is inscribed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, shallow arc-shaped depressions 42 are formed on the bottom surfaces of the end portions and the central portion of the grooves 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG.
[0025]
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 the drive shaft 51 of the solenoid 50. In addition, a spring 43 is disposed between the guide plate 40 and the upper surface of the partition plate 12 to constantly bias the guide plate 40 upward. Therefore, 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 magnetic force of the solenoid 50 when the solenoid 50 is energized.
[0026]
The height of the guide plate 40 when the solenoid 50 is not energized is such that the engaging pin 30 is engaged in the guide groove 41 and the small-diameter ball 31 provided at the tip of the engaging pin 30 is spring-loaded. It is set at a height position where it can be elastically brought into contact with the bottom surface of the guide groove 41 by the elastic force of 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.
[0027]
Further, the stick controller 60 in FIG. 1 is mounted on the partition plate 12, and its operation lever 61 is slidably connected to a connecting portion 28 provided on the Y-direction slide block 26 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, as shown in FIG. The lever 61, the conversion unit 65 that converts the tilt direction of the operation lever 61 into the rotation amounts of the two rotating bodies 63 and 64 arranged in the direction perpendicular to each other, and the rotation amounts of the two rotating bodies 63 and 64 are converted into electric signals. It is particularly preferable to include two rotary type variable resistors (encoders) 66 and 67 that convert into the following.
[0028]
Further, the manual operation unit 70 in FIG. 1 has, for example, one or more switches (not shown) on the upper knob 71, and the switch is clicked while being operated two-dimensionally in the XY directions by the above mechanism. The operation for the desired electronic device is input.
[0029]
As described above, the on-vehicle operation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a manual operation means for selectively selecting a desired electronic device to be operated from one or more electronic devices mounted on the vehicle, and the manual operation. The display means for displaying the name of the electronic device selected by the means and the contents of the operation by the in-vehicle operation device 1 and the computer provided in the console box for controlling each of these devices are combined to provide a required function. Demonstrate.
[0030]
Next, a configuration and operation for applying a reaction force for canceling acceleration generated in the system in the vehicle to the manual operation unit 70 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the operation unit control device 90 for applying a reaction force for canceling the acceleration to the manual operation unit 70 in the present embodiment.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 5, the operation unit control device 90 is generated in the vehicle by the X direction control motor 19 and the Y direction control motor 92 for applying the X direction reaction force and the Y direction reaction force to the manual operation unit 70. An acceleration sensor 96 that detects acceleration in the X direction and acceleration in the Y direction and outputs them as X direction acceleration data and Y direction acceleration data, and X direction acceleration data and Y input from the acceleration sensor 96. And a control voltage generator 95 for generating an X-direction control voltage and a Y-direction control voltage for driving the X-direction control motor 91 and the Y-direction control motor 92 based on the direction acceleration data. Has been. The reaction force generated by the X-direction control motor 91 or the Y-direction control motor 92 is manually operated by the X-direction control rail 93 and the Y-direction control rail 94 that are respectively engaged with the gears provided on these motors. This is transmitted to the operation unit 70.
[0032]
The X direction control voltage and the Y direction control voltage generated at this time will be described with reference to FIG. When the vehicle is moving without stopping or changing speed, no acceleration occurs in the system in the vehicle. Therefore, the force required to operate the knob 71 of the manual operation unit 70 in the X direction or the Y direction is X (or as shown in FIG. 9A) with reference to the reference position (this is the origin O). Y) Target in the positive and negative directions of the axis. Here, for example, when the vehicle turns to the right, the force required to operate the knob 71 of the manual operation unit 70 in the X direction changes as shown in FIG. That is, when the vehicle turns to the right, centrifugal force (acceleration) is applied to the knob 71 in the left direction (negative direction on the X axis). For this reason, a force offset in the left direction (−X direction) occurs with respect to the knob 71. In this embodiment, in order to cancel this force offset, acceleration is sensed by the acceleration sensor 96 and a reaction force for canceling this is generated in the X-direction control motor 91. As a result, the force for operating the knob 71 returns to the state shown in FIG. 9A (the state where there is no stop or speed change), and the user can operate the knob 71 smoothly without feeling uncomfortable. Become. This also applies to the Y direction, and it is possible to cope with acceleration generated during a left turn or acceleration / deceleration.
[0033]
Further, the control voltage generator 95 stores in advance a control voltage (X direction control voltage, Y direction control voltage) to be generated for acceleration (X direction acceleration data, Y direction acceleration data) in a predetermined table (memory). The X direction control voltage and the Y direction control voltage are output based on the X direction acceleration data and the Y direction acceleration data input from the acceleration sensor 96 with reference to the X direction acceleration data and the Y direction acceleration data.
[0034]
Next, the operation of the above-described in-vehicle operation device 1 will be described in detail using a flowchart.
[0035]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the in-vehicle operation device 1. In FIG. 6, when the acceleration detected from the acceleration sensor 96 is input (step S101), the control voltage generator 95 changes the vector value of the acceleration input before a predetermined period (for example, 5 seconds). The amount is integrated, and the integrated value of the change amount per predetermined period is calculated (step S102).
[0036]
In the above description, the control when the vehicle makes a right / left turn or acceleration (including start) or deceleration has been described. In addition to this, for example, a relatively large amount generated during traveling on an unpaved road or the like. It is also possible to control the manual operation unit 70 (knob 71) to be temporarily fixed when vibration occurs. This is because the control voltage generator 95 detects vibration based on the X-direction acceleration data and Y-direction acceleration data input from the acceleration sensor 96, and when a vibration having a predetermined amplitude or more is generated, the X-direction control motor This is realized by simultaneously controlling both the motor 91 and the Y-direction control motor 92 to generate a force in a direction in which the manual operation unit 70 is fixed.
[0037]
Next, the control voltage generation device 95 determines whether vibration having a predetermined amplitude or more is generated in the vehicle or acceleration due to a curve or acceleration / deceleration is generated based on the integral value calculated in step S102 ( Step S103) If vibration has occurred (Yes in Step S103), predetermined X-direction control voltage and Y-direction control voltage that are set in advance to fix the manual operation unit 70 are generated, and are generated in the X-direction. It outputs to the control motor 91 and the Y direction control motor 92, respectively (step S104). On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S103, if it is determined that vibration with a predetermined amplitude or more has not occurred, that is, acceleration due to a curve or acceleration / deceleration has occurred (No in step S103), a control voltage is generated. The device 95 generates an X-direction control voltage and / or a Y-direction control voltage for canceling this according to the detected acceleration, and outputs this to the X-direction control motor 91 and / or the Y-direction control motor 92. (Step S105).
[0038]
A change in force required to operate the manual operation unit 70 by the control according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. For simplification of explanation, FIG. 7 focuses on the case where the vehicle turns right. However, the same applies to the case of left turn or acceleration / deceleration.
[0039]
First, since acceleration is not generated when the vehicle is stopped or performing inertial motion, the force for operating the manual operation unit 70, that is, the force F required for the user to move the knob 71 is shown in FIG. As shown to a), it is symmetrical with respect to the reference position (origin O).
[0040]
In such a situation, when the vehicle turns to the right, for example, the force F for operating the knob 71 is shifted to the left as shown in FIG. That is, the vertical shift is performed by the amount of centrifugal force acting in the vertical direction with respect to the tangent of the trajectory due to the turning.
[0041]
In the present embodiment, in order to eliminate such a shift, a reaction force against the acceleration is applied to the manual operation unit 70 based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 96. Thereby, as shown in FIG.7 (c), the shift of the force F by turning is eliminated, and the same operational feeling as the normal state (a) is implement | achieved.
[0042]
As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the reaction force for canceling the acceleration generated in the vehicle is applied to the manual operation unit 70, the knob 71 is operated. It is possible to prevent the necessary force from changing, and to prevent the manual operation unit 70 from malfunctioning due to such acceleration. Further, with the configuration in which the reaction force that cancels the acceleration is applied to the manual operation unit 70 as described above, even if this (particularly the knob 71) is made of, for example, a heavy material, a change in force required for the operation or malfunction can be prevented. That is, the manual operation unit 70 can be designed with a degree of freedom. Furthermore, since the knob 71 is configured to be temporarily fixed when a relatively large vibration occurs, it is possible to prevent malfunction due to such vibration.
[0043]
The form described above is merely an example of carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. .
[0044]
In the above-described embodiment, an example is given of a case where the manual operation unit 70 is configured to be operated in parallel with the horizontal plane by the XY table 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, the drive shaft 51 Even when the knob 71 is pivoted and the knob 71 is operated so as to draw an arc on a sphere centered on the one point, the present invention can be similarly applied.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the reaction force for canceling the acceleration generated in the vehicle is configured to be applied to the manual operation unit, so that the force required when operating the knob changes. In addition, it is possible to prevent the manual operation unit 70 from malfunctioning due to such acceleration. Further, with the configuration in which the reaction force that cancels the acceleration is applied to the manual operation unit 70 as described above, even if this (particularly the knob 71) is made of, for example, a heavy material, a change in force required for the operation or malfunction can be prevented. That is, the manual operation unit 70 can be designed with a degree of freedom. Furthermore, since the knob 71 is configured to be temporarily fixed when a relatively large vibration occurs, it is possible to prevent malfunction due to such vibration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an in-vehicle operation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are diagrams showing a configuration of an XY table 20 in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
3A and 3B are diagrams showing a configuration of the guide rail 40 in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 3A is a top view of the guide rail 40, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG.
4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a stick controller 60 in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an operation unit control device 95 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the operation unit control device 95 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining an effect according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 7A shows a force required for an operation when no acceleration occurs in the vehicle, and FIG. 7B shows an acceleration generated in the vehicle. (C) shows the force required for the operation when the influence of the acceleration generated in the vehicle is eliminated according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle-mounted operating device 10, 20A, 62 Case 11 Panel part 12 Partition plate 13, 14, 29 Through-hole 20 XY table 21 X-direction slider block 22, 23 X-direction guide rod 24, 25 Y-direction guide rod 26 Y-direction slider block 27, 32, 43 Spring 28 Connecting portion 30 Engaging pin 31 Ball 40 Guide plate 41 Guide groove 41a, 41b, 41c Vertical groove 41d Horizontal groove 42 Depression 50 Solenoid 51 Drive shaft 60 Stick controller 61 Operation lever 63 , 64 Rotating body 65 Conversion unit 66, 67 Rotating variable resistor (encoder)
70 Manual operation unit 71 Knob 91 X direction control motor 92 Y direction control motor 93 X direction control rail 94 Y direction control rail 96 Acceleration sensor 95 Control voltage generator 90 Operation unit control device 150 Connecting shaft

Claims (2)

In a vehicle-mounted operating device for operating at least one electronic device mounted on a vehicle,
Acceleration detecting means for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle;
Manual operation means having an operation unit capable of two-dimensional operation;
Calculating an integral value of a change amount of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting means for a predetermined period, and if the integrated value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, an operation portion control means for fixing the operation portion;
An in-vehicle operation device comprising: A control method of an in-vehicle operation device for controlling a manual operation unit mounted on a vehicle and to which a force generated by a motor is applied,
A first step of detecting vehicle acceleration;
A second step of generating a control voltage for driving the motor based on the acceleration detected in the first step;
A third step of inputting the control voltage generated in the second step to the motor; A fourth step of calculating an integral value of a change amount of the acceleration detected in the first step over a predetermined period;
A fifth step of determining whether or not the integral value calculated in the fourth step is equal to or greater than a predetermined value;
The second step generates the control voltage for causing the motor to generate a force for fixing the manual operation unit when the integrated value is not less than the predetermined value in the fifth step.
A control method characterized by that.

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