JP5076988B2 - In-vehicle air conditioner status display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an on-vehicle air conditioner status display device for notifying a driver of an air outlet, air volume, temperature, and the like of an air conditioner mounted on a vehicle.

Conventionally, the state of an air conditioner mounted on a vehicle, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal panel is used to display the air conditioner mode, air volume, temperature, etc., or the state is printed near the operation dial. There is a technique for displaying in which state position is set. And in these status displays, icons, indicators, and numbers are used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-320521 A

  However, in the above display technology, in order to understand the display content, the driver needs to read the display content by looking directly at the display technology, so the driver needs to move the line of sight from the front for a certain period of time even while driving. There is a problem that there is.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a state display device for an in-vehicle air conditioner that allows the driver to recognize the state of the in-vehicle air conditioner without moving the line of sight from the front.

An in-vehicle air conditioner status display device according to claim 1, which has been made to solve such a problem (1: In this column, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, “Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention” The reference numerals used in the column of “form” are attached, but this does not mean that the scope of claims is limited by the reference numerals.) Is a light beam generation means (10), an irradiation position change means (10), and a setting state acquisition. Means (20) and control means (30) are provided.

The luminous flux generation means (10) is one that generates visible luminous flux and irradiates the vehicle interior , and the irradiation position changing means (10) determines the irradiation position of the luminous flux generated from one luminous flux generation means. Then, the setting state acquisition means (20) acquires the setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner. The control means (30) turns on or off the light flux generated from the light flux generation means (10) and changes the irradiation position according to the setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner acquired by the setting state acquisition means (20). ) Is controlled to change at least one of the thickness, length, and irradiation position of the drawing portion in the passenger compartment irradiated by the light beam generation means (10).

According to the on-vehicle air conditioner status display device (1) as described above, the driver can recognize the on-vehicle air conditioner without moving the line of sight from the front. This will be described below.
In the on-vehicle air conditioner status display device (1), the light beam generated from one light beam generation means (10) irradiates the vehicle interior. At this time, the portion irradiated with the light beam is called a drawing portion. Then, if at least one of the thickness, length, and irradiation position of the drawing portion is changed according to the setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner, the driver is in the setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner due to the change. Can be recognized.

  Accordingly, the control means (30) controls the lighting or extinction of the light beam generated from the light beam generation means (10) and the irradiation position according to the setting state of the on-vehicle air conditioner acquired by the setting state acquisition means (20). Thus, by changing at least one of the thickness, length, and irradiation position of the drawing portion in the passenger compartment irradiated by the light beam generation means (10), the driver can enter any setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner. It can be recognized.

By the way, as a setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner, there is an outlet from which air is blown out in the vehicle interior. Therefore, as described in claim 2, the control means (30) irradiates the light flux emitted from the irradiation position changing means (10) so as to irradiate the air outlet that is blowing air out of the air outlets of the in-vehicle air conditioner. When the position is controlled, it can be seen that air is blown out from the portion (drawing portion) irradiated with the light flux. Also, when the air outlet is illuminated and shines, that part enters the peripheral vision of the driver, so the driver can blow out air from which outlet without moving the field of view during driving. I can see. Since it is not necessary for the driver to move his / her line of sight while driving, safety during driving is improved.

Further, as described in claim 3, the control means (30) irradiates the light flux generating means (10) via the irradiation position changing means (10) in accordance with the air volume set in the vehicle-mounted air conditioner. It is good to control the length of the drawing part. Then, for example, if the length of the drawing part is increased when the airflow is high, and the length of the drawing part is shortened when the airflow is low, the driver intuitively recognizes the airflow of the in-vehicle air conditioner based on the length of the drawing part. can do.

By the way, in order to express the air volume, not only the length of the drawing portion but also the speed at which the luminous flux moves, that is, the speed at which the drawing point moves may be displayed. Therefore, as described in claim 4, the control means (30) changes the irradiation position of the drawing portion irradiated by the irradiation position changing means (10) in accordance with the air volume set in the vehicle-mounted air conditioner. It is advisable to control the rate of change.

  In this way, for example, if the drawing is performed slowly when the air volume is small and the drawing is performed quickly when the air volume is large, the driver can intuitively recognize the air volume of the in-vehicle air conditioner. .

  In addition, the set temperature of the in-vehicle air conditioner is often displayed in color. For example, a low temperature may be displayed in blue and a high temperature may be displayed in red. Therefore, as described in claim 5, the light flux generating means (10) is configured to be able to change the color of the generated light flux, and the control means (30) is adapted to the temperature set in the in-vehicle air conditioner. The color of the light beam generated by the light beam generation means (10) may be changed.

If it does in this way, since the color of a drawing part changes according to preset temperature, a driver can recognize preset temperature of an in-vehicle air conditioner intuitively.
By the way, it is not always necessary to display the status of the in-vehicle air conditioner by the luminous flux. For example, the state display may be performed only when the driver performs the setting operation of the on-vehicle air conditioner. Therefore, it is provided with operation detecting means (40) for detecting that the driver is performing the setting operation of the on-vehicle air conditioner, and the control means (30) is configured so that the driver performs the setting operation of the on-vehicle air conditioner by the operation detecting means (40). It is preferable that the light beam generation means (10) controls the irradiation of the light beam only when it is detected that it is being performed.

  In this way, since the irradiation control of the light beam is performed only when it is detected by the operation detection means (40) that the driver is operating, the display by the light beam is not performed when unnecessary. Therefore, wasteful power consumption is not performed, and battery consumption can be prevented.

  By the way, since the status display of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner is performed for the driver, it is performed at the front part of the passenger compartment. In that case, the luminous flux may be irradiated from the ceiling of the passenger compartment. In particular, as described in claim 7, when the light flux generating means (10) is installed on the rear surface of the room mirror (12) in the vehicle interior, it is inconspicuous in the vehicle interior and has a great advantage in terms of design in the vehicle interior.

  By the way, various methods can be considered for the luminous flux generation means (10). For example, white light generated by an incandescent light bulb may be narrowed by a lens to form a light beam. However, when laser light is generated as a light beam as described in claim 8, a condensing device such as a lens is used. Since a coherent visible light beam can be generated, the light beam can be easily seen by the driver.

Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a status display device 1 for an in-vehicle air conditioner to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state of arrangement of components in a vehicle interior. As shown in FIG. 1, the on-vehicle air conditioner status display device 1 includes a laser light generator 10, a setting switch 20, a pressure sensor 40, and a control device 30.

  The laser beam generator 10 is installed on the back surface of the room mirror 12 in the vehicle interior to generate visible laser light and irradiate the vehicle interior as shown in FIG. The laser beam generator 10 includes laser diodes of different colors (not shown) and is configured to be able to change the color of the generated laser beam. In addition, it has a scanner composed of MEMS (not shown) in order to change the irradiation position, and by setting an angle in the vertical and horizontal directions of the vehicle according to a command from the control device 30, a laser beam can be applied to an arbitrary position in the vehicle interior. Is irradiated into the passenger compartment.

  The setting switch 20 is provided in the center console in the front part of the passenger compartment, and is for acquiring the setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner. The setting switch 20 is a rotary position sensor for detecting from which outlet a vehicle-mounted air conditioner air is blown or how the temperature and the air volume are set.

  The pressure-sensitive sensor 40 is a pressure sensor for detecting that the driver is performing the setting operation of the in-vehicle air conditioner, and is installed in the knob portion of the setting switch 20. It detects the pressure when touching the operation knob.

The control device 30 is composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, etc., not shown, and executes the following processing.
(1) The setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner is acquired by the setting switch 20.

  (2) By turning on or off the laser light generated from the laser light generator 10 and controlling the irradiation position according to the acquired setting state, the drawing portion in the vehicle interior irradiated by the laser light generator 10 is controlled. At least one of thickness, length, and irradiation position is changed.

(3) The irradiation position of the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam generator 10 is controlled so as to irradiate the blowing port that is blowing out air among the blowing ports of the in-vehicle air conditioner.
(4) The length of the drawing portion irradiated by the laser light generator 10 is controlled according to the air volume set in the vehicle-mounted air conditioner.

(5) The color of the laser beam generated by the laser beam generator 10 is changed according to the temperature set in the in-vehicle air conditioner.
(6) The laser light irradiation control by the laser light generator 10 of (1) to (5) is performed only when it is detected by the pressure sensor 40 that the driver is performing the setting operation of the on-vehicle air conditioner.

(Irradiation control processing)
Next, an irradiation control process executed by the control device 30 will be described based on FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of irradiation control processing. In the irradiation control process, as shown in FIG. 3, the state of the pressure sensor 40 is acquired in S100. In subsequent S105, it is determined whether or not the setting switch 20 is in an operating state from the state of the pressure sensor 40 acquired in S100, that is, whether or not pressure is detected by the pressure sensor 40.

  If it is determined that the setting switch 20 is in the operating state (S105: Yes), the process proceeds to S115. If it is determined that the setting switch 20 is not in the operating state (S105: No), the process proceeds to S110.

In S110, after the laser beam irradiation of the laser beam generator 10 is stopped, the process proceeds to S100, and the process of acquiring the state of the pressure sensor 40 is repeated.
In S115, the state of the setting switch 20 is acquired, and in subsequent S120, it is determined whether or not the state of the setting switch 20 acquired in S115 changes the balloon position.

  If it is determined that the state of the setting switch 20 changes the balloon position, that is, is different from the previous balloon position setting (S120: Yes), the process proceeds to S135, and the balloon position is changed. When it is determined that it is not a thing, that is, when it is determined that it is the same balloon position setting as the previous time (S120: No), the process proceeds to S125.

  In S135, the irradiation position of the laser light is changed to a predetermined irradiation position according to the state of the air outlet acquired in S115. In other words, the irradiation position is changed so that the laser beam is irradiated to the air outlet from which the air is actually blown out of the predetermined air-conditioner outlet.

  FIG. 4 shows how the laser beam is irradiated when the irradiation position is changed. For example, FIG. 4A shows a case where air blows out from the air outlet for the windshield, and FIG. 4B shows a case where air blows out from the air outlet for the vehicle interior upward. FIG. 4 (c) shows a case where air blows out from the air outlet toward the vehicle interior downward, and FIG. 4 (d) shows a case where air blows out from the air outlet against the rear seat in the vehicle compartment.

  Furthermore, FIG. 4 (e) shows the case where air blows out from the air blowing port for the windshield and the upward air blowing port for the vehicle interior, and FIG. ).

  In S125, when it is determined that the state of the setting switch 20 acquired in S115 changes the air volume, that is, is different from the previous air volume setting (S125: Yes), the process proceeds to S140, and the air volume is determined. If it is determined that the air flow is not changed, that is, if it is determined that the air volume setting is the same as the previous time (S125: No), the process proceeds to S130.

  In S140, the length of the drawing line of the laser beam, that is, the length of the line drawn by the laser beam on the drawing surface is changed according to the state of the set air volume acquired in S115. FIG. 5 shows the state of laser light irradiation when the length of the laser light drawing line is changed.

  For example, when the air volume is small, the length of the drawing line is shortened as shown in FIG. 5A, and when the air volume is large, the length of the drawing line is increased as shown in FIG. When the air volume is medium, the length of the drawing line is medium as shown in FIG.

  In S130, when it is determined that the state of the setting switch 20 acquired in S115 changes the temperature, that is, is different from the previous temperature setting (S125: Yes), the process proceeds to S145, and the air volume If it is determined that the temperature is not to be changed, that is, if it is determined that the temperature setting is the same as the previous time (S130: No), the process proceeds to S150.

  In S145, the color of the laser beam is changed according to the set temperature state acquired in S115. FIG. 6 shows how the laser light is irradiated when the color of the laser light is changed. For example, when the temperature is low, the drawing line is drawn in blue as shown in FIG. 6 (a), and when the temperature is high, the drawing line is drawn in red as shown in FIG. 6 (c). In the middle case, the drawing line is drawn in green as shown in FIG.

  In S150, in the state changed in S135, S140, and S145 or in the same state as the previous time, after the laser beam is emitted from the laser beam generator 10, the process is returned to S100, and the irradiation control process is repeated.

(Characteristics of on-vehicle air conditioner status display device 1)
In the on-vehicle air conditioner status display device 1 as described above, the laser beam is applied to the air outlet set to blow out the air, and the amount of air blowing set in the air outlet from which the air is blown out is the amount of laser light. Expressed by length. Furthermore, the set temperature of the air blown out from the air outlet is represented by the color of the laser beam.

  As described above, the position of the air outlet from which the air is blown out, the amount of air blown from the air outlet, and the temperature of the air to be blown out are represented by the position, length and color of the laser beam, respectively. Moreover, since the laser light enters the peripheral vision of the driver, the driver can recognize the state of the in-vehicle air conditioner without moving the line of sight from the front during driving.

Further, since the laser light irradiation control is performed only when the pressure sensor 40 detects that the driver is operating, the display with the laser light is not performed when unnecessary. Therefore, wasteful power consumption is not performed, and battery consumption can be prevented. Furthermore, if the laser beam generator 10 is installed on the back surface of the room mirror 12 in the vehicle interior, the laser light generator 10 is not conspicuous in the vehicle interior and can keep the design of the vehicle interior well.
[Second Embodiment]
Next, a description will be given of a case where the air volume is indicated by the moving speed of the portion irradiated with the laser light, that is, the drawing point, instead of indicating the air volume by the length of the laser light. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the state display device 1 for the in-vehicle air conditioner is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, in S140 of the irradiation control process executed in the control device 30 in the first embodiment, the length of the drawing line of the laser light is changed according to the state of the set air volume acquired in S115. The air volume is indicated at a speed at which the laser beam drawing point moves.

  FIG. 7 shows the state of laser light irradiation when the speed at which the drawing point of the laser light drawing point moves is changed. For example, when the air volume is small, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the speed of the drawing point when drawing the drawing point is slowed (shown briefly by the broken line arrow in FIG. 7 (a)), and when the air volume is large, When the drawing point is drawn as shown in FIG. 7C, the drawing point speed is increased (indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. 7C), and when the air volume is medium, FIG. As shown in b), the speed of the drawing point when drawing the drawing point is assumed to be medium (indicated by a medium length with a broken-line arrow in FIG. 7B).

  In this way, the driver can intuitively recognize the air volume of the in-vehicle air conditioner based on the position and speed of movement of the drawing point according to the air volume.

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the status display apparatus 1 of a vehicle-mounted air conditioner. It is a figure which shows the mode of arrangement | positioning of the component in a vehicle interior. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of an irradiation control process. It is a figure which shows the mode of irradiation of the laser beam in case an irradiation position is changed. It is a figure which shows the mode of irradiation of a laser beam when the length of the drawing line of a laser beam is changed. It is a figure which shows the mode of irradiation of the laser beam in case the color of a laser beam is changed. It is a figure which shows the mode of irradiation of a laser beam in case the speed at which the drawing point of the drawing point of a laser beam moves is changed.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Status display apparatus, 10 ... Laser beam generator, 20 ... Setting switch, 30 ... Control apparatus, 40 ... Pressure sensor.

Claims (8)

One luminous flux generating means for generating a luminous flux of visible light and irradiating the vehicle interior;
An irradiation position changing means for changing an irradiation position of a light beam generated from the one light flux generating means;
A setting state acquisition means for acquiring the setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner;
In accordance with the setting state of the in-vehicle air conditioner acquired by the setting state acquisition unit, by turning on or off the light beam generated from the light beam generation unit and controlling the irradiation position of the light beam by the irradiation position changing unit , Control means for changing at least one of a thickness, a length, and an irradiation position of the drawing portion in the vehicle interior irradiated by the light flux generating means;
An on-vehicle air conditioner status display device comprising: In the on-vehicle air conditioner status display device according to claim 1,
The control means includes
An on-vehicle air conditioner status display device that controls an irradiation position of a light beam irradiated by the irradiation position changing means so as to irradiate a blowing outlet that is blowing air out of the outlets of the on-vehicle air conditioner. In the vehicle air conditioner status display device according to claim 1 or 2,
The control means includes
An on-vehicle air conditioner status display device that controls the length of a drawing portion irradiated by the light flux generating means via the irradiation position changing means in accordance with an air volume set in the on-vehicle air conditioner. In the vehicle air conditioner status display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The control means includes
An on-vehicle air conditioner status display device that changes an irradiation position of a drawing portion irradiated by the irradiation position changing means and controls a change speed in accordance with an air volume set in the on-vehicle air conditioner. In the in-vehicle air conditioner status display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The light flux generating means is configured to be able to change the color of the generated light flux,
The control means includes
A status display device for an on-vehicle air conditioner, wherein the color of the light beam generated by the light beam generating means is changed according to a temperature set in the on-vehicle air conditioner. In the in-vehicle air conditioner status display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Comprising an operation detecting means for detecting that the driver is performing the setting operation of the in-vehicle air conditioner;
The control means includes
An on-vehicle air conditioner status display device that performs light flux irradiation control by the light flux generating means only when it is detected by the operation detecting means that a driver is performing a setting operation of the on-vehicle air conditioner. In the vehicle air conditioner status display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The luminous flux generating means includes
An on-vehicle air conditioner status display device, which is installed on the back of a rearview mirror in a vehicle interior. In the vehicle air conditioner status display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The luminous flux generating means includes
A status display device for an on-vehicle air conditioner, wherein a laser beam is generated as the luminous flux to be generated.