JP6284648B2 - Tactile sensation control system and tactile sensation control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tactile sensation control system and a tactile sensation control method for controlling a user's tactile sensation during operation on an operation surface of a touch panel or a touch pad.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a user performs an operation on a display screen of a display device including a touch panel, there is a technique for giving a tactile sensation according to the operation to the user.

  For example, a technique for imparting a tactile sensation to a finger by irradiating the finger with ultrasonic waves is disclosed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In addition, a technique for imparting a tactile sensation to a user by vibrating an arbitrary area of the touch panel by ultrasonic vibration is disclosed (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). Further, a technique for imparting a tactile sensation by dynamically (physically) raising and lowering an arbitrary area of a touch panel is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-29898 A International Publication No. 2012/102026 JP 2005-512241 A

"Prototype tablet equipped with touch panel that provides tactile sensation", [online], February 24, 2014, Fujitsu Limited, [May 12, 2014], Internet <URL: http: // pr. fujitsu.com/jp/news/2014/02/24.html?nw=pr>

  If the user uses the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3 and Non-Patent Document 1, it is considered that the user can operate with the tactile sensation without concentrating the line of sight on the display screen. However, Patent Documents 1 to 3 and Non-Patent Document 1 do not disclose any specific use and cannot provide a user interface that is easy to use.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and provides a tactile sensation control system and a tactile sensation control method that allow a user to perform a user-friendly operation without concentrating the line of sight on the display screen during operation. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a tactile sensation control system according to the present invention is a tactile sensation control system that controls a user's tactile sensation when operating on an operation surface of a touchpad, and relates to an operation region in which an operation is performed by a user on the operation surface. An operation region information acquisition unit that acquires information as operation region information, an event occurrence detection unit that detects the occurrence of a specific event that is predetermined as an event that defines the valid state or invalid state of an operation, and an operation region information acquisition unit The operation area in which the operation is in a valid state and the operation area in which the operation is in an invalid state based on the operation area information acquired in this way and the specific event detected by the event occurrence detection unit. and a control for tactile control module, the operation area control is enabled state is an icon having a first region and a second region touch are different Tactile control unit, the position of the position and a second region of the first region in the icon changes continuously over time.

The tactile sensation control method according to the present invention is a tactile sensation control method for controlling a user's tactile sensation during an operation on the operation surface of the touch pad, and acquires information about an operation region on which the user operates on the operation surface as operation region information. The operation area in which the operation is in an effective state based on the acquired operation area information and the detected specific event is detected by detecting the occurrence of a specific event that is predetermined as an event that defines the valid state or invalid state of the operation. And the operation area in which the operation is in an invalid state are controlled so that the operation area in which the operation is in an effective state is an icon having a first area and a second area with different tactile sensations. The position of the area and the position of the second area are controlled so as to change continuously over time.

According to the present invention, the tactile sensation control system is a tactile sensation control system that controls a user's tactile sensation during an operation on the operation surface of the touch pad, and acquires information about an operation region on which the user operates on the operation surface as operation region information. An operation area information acquisition unit, an event occurrence detection unit that detects the occurrence of a specific event that is predetermined as an event that defines a valid or invalid state of the operation, and the operation region information acquired by the operation region information acquisition unit And a tactile sensation control unit that controls the tactile sensation between the operation area in which the operation is valid and the operation area in which the operation is invalid based on the specific event detected by the event occurrence detection unit. provided, the operation area control is enabled state, touch is an icon with different first and second regions, the tactile control module, icon Since the position of the position and a second region of the definitive first region is continuously changed over time, the user is able to perform user-friendly operation without focusing the gaze on the display screen when operating.

The tactile sensation control method is a tactile sensation control method for controlling the user's tactile sensation during operation on the operation surface of the touch pad, and acquires information about an operation region on the operation surface on which the user operates as operation region information. The occurrence of a specific event that is predetermined as an event that prescribes the valid state or invalid state of an operation is detected, and based on the acquired operation region information and the detected specific event, an operation region in which the operation is in a valid state, and an operation Is controlled so that the tactile sensation is different from the operation area in which the operation is in an invalid state, and the operation area in which the operation is in an effective state is an icon having a first area and a second area having different tactile sensations, and the position of the first area in the icon and the position of the second region is controlled to continuously change over time, to concentrate the line of sight to the user display screen during operation Ku it is possible to perform a user-friendly operation.

  Objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the tactile sensation by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the tactile sensation by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the tactile sensation by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the tactile sensation by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the tactile sensation by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows another example of a structure of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the tactile sensation control system by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement of the tactile sensation control apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the tactile sensation control system by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows another example of a structure of the tactile sensation control system by embodiment of this invention.

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

<Embodiment 1>
First, the structure of the tactile sensation control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment and the following embodiments, a case where the tactile sensation control system is realized by a single tactile sensation control device will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the tactile sensation control device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the minimum necessary components constituting the tactile sensation control device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tactile sensation control device 1 includes at least an operation region information acquisition unit 2, an event occurrence detection unit 3, and a tactile sensation control unit 4.

  The operation area information acquisition unit 2 acquires, as operation area information, information related to an operation area that is operated by the user on the operation surface of the touch panel or the touch pad.

  The event occurrence detection unit 3 detects the occurrence of an event (specific event) that is predetermined as an event that defines the valid state or invalid state of the operation.

  The tactile sensation control unit 4 is based on the operation region information acquired by the operation region information acquisition unit 2 and the event detected by the event occurrence detection unit 3. Control is performed so that the tactile sensation with the operation area in the invalid state is different.

  Here, the tactile sensation controlled by the tactile sensation control unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of three tactile sensations of “smooth”, “half-gritty”, and “gritty”.

  In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis indicates the strength of the tactile sensation, the leftmost column indicates “smooth”, the middle two columns indicate “half rough”, and the rightmost column indicates “gritty”. Yes. Further, the tactile sensation of the entire square is expressed by vibrating the dot or line pattern portion expressed in black shown in each square by, for example, ultrasonic vibration. That is, for example, when the intensity of vibration in each square is the same, the tactile sensation of “roughness” is stronger on the right side than on the left side in FIG. Specifically, the first line in FIG. 2 indicates that the larger the dot eyes, the stronger the feel of the grain. The second line indicates that the narrower the grid interval, the stronger the feel of the grain. The third line It shows that the feel of roughness increases as the line changes from a broken line to a solid line and the line becomes thicker. Note that the texture pattern of the rough texture is not particular to FIG. 2, and there are infinite combinations.

  The example in FIG. 2 shows a method for obtaining a different rough feel by changing the pattern even if the vibration intensity is the same. However, if the vibration intensity is changed even if the pattern is the same, A tactile sensation can be obtained.

  The “smooth” tactile sensation can be expressed, for example, by not performing ultrasonic vibration.

  The “gritty” tactile sensation can be expressed by, for example, performing ultrasonic vibration with a strength equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  The “half-grainy” tactile sensation can be expressed, for example, by performing ultrasonic vibration that is smaller than the threshold value.

  Further, by combining both the strength of vibration and the rough tactile sensation pattern as shown in FIG. 2, the strength of the rough tactile sensation can be expressed.

  In FIG. 2, the rough texture pattern and the static rough texture that does not change the vibration intensity have been explained. However, the vibration intensity is changed with time, or the rough texture pattern is temporal. It is also possible to express the tactile sensation of moving by changing it to (ie, by dynamically changing the vibration pattern or the tactile pattern of the gritty tactile).

  3 to 5 are diagrams illustrating an example in which a “moving rough” tactile sensation is generated by temporally changing the intensity of vibration. 3 to 5, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the strength of tactile sensation.

  FIG. 3 shows a case where the tactile sensation is constant and the tactile sensation occurs at a constant period. FIG. 4 shows a case where the tactile sensation is changed and the tactile sensation occurs at a constant cycle. FIG. 5 shows a case where the tactile sensation is constant and the tactile sensation cycle changes.

  By changing the tactile sensation as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, for example, the user can obtain a tactile sensation as if the “gritty” area is moving (that is, the tactile sensation of “moving gritty”). In addition, in FIGS. 3 to 5, the feeling of “gritty” and the feeling of “smooth” are alternately switched, but the feeling of “gritty” and the feeling of “half-gritty” may be alternately switched. The texture of the “roughness” may be switched continuously instead of discretely, and a continuous change and a discrete change may be freely combined.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of generating a “moving rough” tactile sensation by changing a rough tactile sensation pattern with time. In FIG. 6, the vertical axis indicates time. Moreover, the area | region a and the area | region b have a tactile feeling, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the positions of the area a and the area b are moved with time. In this way, by moving the region a and the region b having a tactile sensation, the user can obtain a tactile sensation as if the “rough” region is moving (ie, a “moving rough” tactile sense). In addition, each of the area | region a and the area | region b may have a tactile sensation as shown in any of FIGS.

  Further, in FIG. 6, the “gritty” tactile sensation area and the “smooth” tactile sensation area are temporally moved, but the “gritty” tactile sensation area and the “half-gritty” tactile sensation area are It may be configured and moved in time, or an area in which the “gritty” tactile sensation changes discretely or continuously may be configured to move in time. In FIGS. 3 to 6, when a “gritty” tactile sensation that changes continuously is adopted, a smooth “growing gritty” tactile sensation can be obtained.

  Next, another configuration of the tactile sensation control device 1 including the operation region information acquisition unit 2, the event occurrence detection unit 3, and the tactile sensation control unit 4 illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the tactile sensation control device 5.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the tactile sensation control device 5 includes a control unit 6, a display information generation / output unit 7, a tactile touch panel control unit 8, an operation information acquisition unit 9, a vehicle information acquisition unit 10, and map information acquisition. Unit 11 and an external device information acquisition control unit 12. The display information generation / output unit 7 is connected to the display 13, the tactile touch panel control unit 8 and the operation information acquisition unit 9 are connected to the tactile touch panel 14, and the map information acquisition unit 11 is connected to a map DB (database) 15. The external device information acquisition control unit 12 is connected to the audio 16 and the air conditioner 17.

  The control unit 6 controls the entire tactile sensation control device 5. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the control unit 6 controls the display information generation / output unit 7, the tactile touch panel control unit 8, the vehicle information acquisition unit 10, the map information acquisition unit 11, and the external device information acquisition control unit 12.

  The control unit 6 includes an event occurrence detection unit 3. The event occurrence detection unit 3 detects the occurrence of an event (specific event) that is predetermined as an event that defines the valid state or invalid state of the operation. Specifically, the event occurrence detection unit 3 detects whether a moving body such as a vehicle is moving.

  The display information generation / output unit 7 generates display information in accordance with instructions from the control unit 6. The display information generation / output unit 7 converts the generated display information into a video signal and outputs the video signal to the display 13.

  The tactile touch panel control unit 8 includes an operation area information acquisition unit 2 and a tactile control unit 4. The operation area information acquisition unit 2 acquires operation area information input from the control unit 6. The tactile sensation control unit 4 is based on the operation region information acquired by the operation region information acquisition unit 2 and the event detected by the event occurrence detection unit 3. The tactile sensation control information for controlling the tactile sensation to be different from the operation area in the invalid state is output to the tactile sensation touch panel 14.

  The operation information acquisition unit 9 acquires information related to a user operation on the tactile touch panel 14 from the tactile touch panel 14 as operation information.

  The vehicle information acquisition unit 10 includes sensor information (vehicle speed pulse information, etc.) detected by various sensors provided in the vehicle via an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network), vehicle control information (information about the engine, and brake). Information, information on side brakes, etc.) or GPS (Global Positioning System) information etc. is acquired as vehicle information.

  The map information acquisition unit 11 acquires map information from the map DB 15.

  The external device information acquisition control unit 12 acquires information related to external devices (audio 16 and air conditioner 17) that are user operation targets as external device information. The external device information acquisition control unit 12 controls external devices (audio 16 and air conditioner 17).

  The display 13 displays the display information input from the display information generation / output unit 7 on the display screen.

  The tactile touch panel 14 outputs information related to the touch operation by the user (information such as presence / absence of touch, touch position, operation content, etc.) to the operation information acquisition unit 9 as operation information. In addition, the tactile touch panel 14 provides a tactile sensation (“smooth”, “half-gritty”, “gritty”, “moving gritty”) at any position on the touch panel based on the haptic control information input from the haptic touch-panel control unit 8. Change.

  In addition, the tactile touch panel 14 is provided on the display screen of the display device 13, and the user can use it with a sense of directly operating the display screen. That is, the display screen area of the display 13 and the area where the tactile sensation of the tactile touch panel 14 is generated may completely coincide with each other. Moreover, either the display screen area | region of the indicator 13 or the area | region which generate | occur | produces the tactile sense of the tactile touch panel 14 may be an area | region wider than the other. For example, the tactile touch panel 14 is installed so that the area where the tactile sensation of the tactile touch panel 14 is generated protrudes from the display screen area of the display device 13 and is used as an area where the touch operation can be input although it is not displayed. Also good.

  Next, the operation of the tactile sensation control device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the tactile sensation control device 5. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the tactile sensation control device 5. In FIG. 9, the left diagram shows the display and tactile sensation when the vehicle is stopped, and the right diagram shows the display and tactile sensation while the vehicle is traveling.

  In step S <b> 11, the display information generation / output unit 7 generates display information according to an instruction from the control unit 6, converts the generated display information into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the display unit 13.

  In step S <b> 12, the event occurrence detection unit 3 detects whether or not the vehicle is traveling based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 10. Specifically, the event occurrence detection unit 3 may detect, for example, whether or not the vehicle is running based on a vehicle speed pulse, and is stopped when the vehicle speed becomes zero by applying a brake. It may be detected that the vehicle is at a stop when the vehicle speed is zero and the side brake is pulled. Further, the event occurrence detection unit 3 may determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling based on an image taken by the camera. In this case, the vehicle information acquisition part 10 acquires the image image | photographed with the camera as vehicle information. When the vehicle is traveling, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, when the vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S <b> 13, the tactile sensation touch panel control unit 8 sets the tactile sensation control information of the travel operation restriction icon 18 (operation area) in which the operation is invalid according to an instruction from the control unit 6 to “smooth”.

  In step S <b> 14, the tactile sensation touch panel control unit 8 sets the tactile sensation control information of the traveling operation restriction icon 18 in which the operation is valid in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 6 to “gritty”.

  In step S <b> 15, the tactile touch panel control unit 8 outputs the tactile feel control information set in step S <b> 13 or step S <b> 14 to the tactile touch panel 14. The tactile touch panel 14 is controlled based on the tactile sensation control information input from the tactile touch panel control unit 8 so that the tactile sensation of the travel operation restriction icon 18 is different depending on whether the operation is enabled or disabled.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when the vehicle is stopped, the operation of the travel operation restriction icon 18 is in an effective state, and thus the tactile sensation is “gritty”. On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling, the operation of the traveling operation restriction icon 18 is in an invalid state, and thus the tactile sensation is “smooth”. Further, when the travel operation unrestricted icon 19 that does not depend on the travel state of the vehicle is displayed on the display screen of the display 13, the tactile sensation on the tactile touch panel 14 of the travel operation unrestricted icon 19 is related to the travel state of the vehicle. (Ie, the operation of the travel operation unrestricted icon 19 is always in a valid state). The travel operation restriction icon 18 includes various operation icons on the navigation screen. In this case, it is assumed that the control unit 6 has a navigation function. Examples of the travel operation unrestricted icon 19 include a volume adjustment icon for the audio 16 and a temperature adjustment icon for the air conditioner 17.

  The user operates (icon operation) the traveling operation restriction icon 18 and the traveling operation unrestricted icon 19 by touch input. The touch input in the first embodiment can feel a tactile sensation as a preliminary operation of the icon operation when the user touches the operation surface of the tactile touch panel 14 lightly, and the icon when the user strongly presses the operation surface. Operation methods that accept operations are also included.

  In step S <b> 16, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the user has operated the tactile touch panel 14 via the operation information acquisition unit 9. When the user operates the tactile touch panel 14, the process proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, when the user does not operate the tactile touch panel 14, the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S <b> 17, the control unit 6 performs display screen transition according to the user's operation.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the operation of the tactile sensation control device 5. In FIG. 10, the left figure shows the display and tactile sensation when the vehicle is stopped, and the right figure shows the display and tactile sensation while the vehicle is running.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the vehicle is stopped, the gesture operation is effective, so the tactile sensation in the gesture input area 21 is “smooth”. At this time, the tactile sensation of the travel operation unrestricted icon 20 is “gritty”, and the tactile sensation of the area other than the travel operation unrestricted icon 20 and the gesture input area 21 is “half rough”. Here, the gesture input area refers to an area in which a user can input by a gesture operation in the display screen.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling, since the gesture operation is invalid, the touch feeling of the gesture input area 21 is “half rough”. At this time, the tactile sensation of the travel operation unrestricted icon 20 is “gritty”, and the tactile sensation of the area other than the travel operation unrestricted icon 20 and the gesture input area 21 is “half rough”.

  In the above description, when the user sitting in the passenger seat performs an operation while the vehicle is traveling, the tactile sensation control unit 4 may change the tactile sensation indicating the invalid state to the tactile sensation indicating the valid state. . For example, in FIG. 9, when the user sitting in the passenger seat operates the travel operation restriction icon 18 while traveling, the tactile sensation control unit 4 changes the tactile sensation of the travel operation restriction icon 18 from “smooth” to “gritty”. change. Whether or not the user sitting in the passenger seat performs an operation can be detected by, for example, a camera or a sensor. By doing so, the operability from the passenger seat side is improved.

  In the above description, the display mode of the travel operation restriction icon 18 may be changed depending on whether the vehicle is stopped or traveling. For example, in FIG. 9, when the vehicle is stopped, a display (for example, color display) showing that the operation of the travel operation restriction icon 18 is valid is performed, and when the vehicle is traveling, the travel operation is performed. A display that indicates that the operation of the restriction icon 18 is in an invalid state (for example, gray display) is performed.

  In the above description, the case where the tactile sensation of the traveling operation restriction icon 18 is changed depending on whether the vehicle is traveling is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on whether the owner of a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone is walking (moving), the tactile sensation on the tactile touch panel 14 (for example, the tactile sensation of the travel operation restriction icon 18 shown in FIG. The tactile sensation of the gesture input area 21 shown may be controlled. In this case, the position of the mobile communication terminal can be detected by GPS, and whether or not the mobile communication terminal is moving can be detected by an acceleration sensor. Moreover, you may control a tactile sensation according to the environment where the owner of a portable communication terminal exists. For example, if the owner of the mobile communication terminal is present at a station, cliff, narrow road, outdoors, etc., the operation is disabled and the tactile sensation is controlled, and if the owner is indoors, the operation is enabled and the tactile sensation is controlled. Also good. In the situation where the owner pays attention to the surroundings, the operation of depriving the sight is prohibited, so that there is an effect of further suppressing the decrease in attention.

  In the above description, the case where the tactile sensation of “smooth” and “grainy” is used has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, “half rough” or “moving rough” may be used in appropriate combination.

  Each of the traveling operation restriction icon 18, the traveling operation unrestricted icon 19, and the traveling operation unrestricted icon 20 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 may have a physically raised shape.

  From the above, according to the first embodiment, since the tactile sensation is changed according to the traveling state (moving state) of a moving body such as a vehicle or a mobile communication terminal, the user looks at the display screen during operation. It is not necessary to concentrate, and it is possible to easily grasp that the operation is in the valid state or the invalid state. That is, an operation that is convenient for the user can be performed.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the tactile touch panel 14 is used has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the indicator 13 is provided on the meter panel 22, and the tactile touch pad 23 is replaced with the tactile touch pad 14 in the vicinity of the driver. (I.e., the display 13 and the tactile touch pad 23 are separately installed at different locations) may be applied to a tactile control system for a meter panel. In the example of FIG. 11, the meter panel 22 is provided with a display 13 and a speedometer 24. When the display device 13 is provided on the meter panel 22, the display device 13 and the tactile touch pad 23 are separated from each other, so that an effect of largely preventing a reduction in the attention of the driver during operation can be obtained. The display device 13 provided in the meter panel 22 may use a partial region or the entire region of the meter panel 22 as a display region of the display device 13. In addition, the size of the region where the tactile sensation occurs on the tactile touch pad 23 and the size of the display region on the display 13 may be the same, may be similar, or may not be similar.

<Embodiment 2>
The second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that when the vehicle is about to travel a curve, the tactile sensation of the icon in which the operation is valid is changed to a tactile sensation indicating that the operation is invalid. Since the configuration of the tactile sensation control apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the tactile sensation control apparatus 5 (see FIG. 7) according to the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the tactile sensation control apparatus according to the second embodiment. Note that steps S21 and S23 to S27 in FIG. 12 correspond to steps S11 and S13 to S17 in FIG.

  In step S <b> 22, the event occurrence detection unit 3 is about to curve the vehicle soon based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 10 and the map information acquired from the map DB 15 via the map information acquisition unit 11. It detects whether or not the vehicle travels (detects whether or not to notify the presence of a curve ahead of the vehicle generated by a predetermined rule). Specifically, the event occurrence detection unit 3 travels a curve after the vehicle travels a predetermined distance from the current position based on the information on the current position of the vehicle included in the GPS information and the map information. Whether or not is detected. When the vehicle is about to travel a curve (when notifying the presence of a curve ahead of the vehicle), the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if the vehicle will not travel on the curve soon, the process proceeds to step S24.

  In step S22, the event occurrence detection unit 3 determines whether to proceed to step S23 or step S24 based on the information regarding the curvature of the curve included in the map information and the vehicle speed information included in the vehicle information. You may make it perform. Specifically, when the curvature of the curve is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the process may proceed to step S23 in order to invalidate the operation of the travel operation restriction icon 18. Further, when the vehicle speed is slower than a predetermined threshold value, the process may proceed to step S24 in order to validate the operation of the travel operation restriction icon 18.

  In the above description, a case has been described in which the tactile sensation of the travel operation restriction icon 18 is changed depending on whether or not the vehicle is about to travel a curve. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on the number of other vehicles around the vehicle, the tactile sensation is changed so that the operation of the travel operation restriction icon 18 becomes invalid when the number of other vehicles is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Also good. The presence and position of other vehicles can be detected by, for example, a camera or a laser radar.

  From the above, according to the second embodiment, the tactile sensation is varied according to the driving load on the driver, such as when driving on a curve or when there are many other vehicles in the vicinity. The user does not need to concentrate his / her line of sight on the display screen during the operation, and can easily grasp that the operation is in the valid state or the invalid state. That is, an operation that is convenient for the user can be performed.

<Embodiment 3>
The third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that when an incoming call is received, the tactile sensation of an icon whose operation is invalid is changed to a tactile sensation indicating that the operation is valid.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the tactile sensation control device 25 according to the third embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 13, the tactile sensation control device 25 includes a communication unit 26. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment (see FIG. 7), and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  The communication unit 26 is communicably connected to a communication terminal (not shown). When there is an incoming call from another communication terminal external to the communication terminal (outside of the tactile sensation control device 25), the user selects an incoming call reception icon 28 (see FIG. 15 described later) displayed on the display unit 13. By doing so, it becomes possible to make a call (hands-free call).

  Next, the operation of the tactile sensation control device 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the tactile sensation control device 25. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the tactile sensation control device 25.

  Note that step S31, step S36, and step S37 in FIG. 14 are the same as step S11, step S16, and step S17 in FIG. In FIG. 15, the left diagram shows the display and tactile sensation when there is no incoming call, and the right diagram shows the display and tactile sensation when there is an incoming call.

  In step S <b> 32, the event occurrence detection unit 3 detects whether there is an incoming call from the outside via the communication unit 26. If there is an incoming call, the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if there is no incoming call, the process proceeds to step S34.

  In step S <b> 33, the tactile sensation touch panel control unit 8 sets the tactile sensation control information of the incoming call reception icon 28 (operation area) whose operation is invalid according to an instruction from the control unit 6 to “smooth”.

  In step S <b> 34, the tactile sensation touch panel control unit 8 sets the tactile sensation control information of the incoming call reception icon 28 whose operation is valid according to the instruction of the control unit 6 to “gritty”.

  In step S35, the tactile touch panel control unit 8 outputs the tactile touch control information set in step S33 or step S34 to the tactile touch panel 14. The tactile touch panel 14 is controlled based on the tactile sensation control information input from the tactile touch panel control unit 8 so that the tactile sensation of the incoming call reception icon 28 differs depending on whether the operation is enabled or disabled.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, when there is no incoming call, the operation of the incoming call reception icon 28 is in an invalid state, so that the tactile sensation is “smooth”. On the other hand, in the case of an incoming call, since the operation of the incoming call reception icon 28 is in a valid state, the tactile sensation is “gritty”. In the example of FIG. 15, another operation icon 27 is displayed on the display screen of the display device 13, and the tactile sensation on the tactile touch panel 14 of the operation icon 27 is “rough” regardless of whether there is an incoming call. (That is, the operation of the operation icon 27 is always in a valid state). Here, examples of the operation icon 27 include an operation icon for navigation, an operation icon for the audio 16, and an operation icon for the air conditioner 17. The incoming call includes not only an incoming voice call but also an incoming call related to communication from the outside, and specifically includes reception of e-mail, push-type information distribution, traffic information, disaster information, and the like.

  In the above description, the case where the tactile sensation of “smooth” and “grainy” is used has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, “half rough” or “moving rough” may be used in appropriate combination.

  Each of operation icon 27 and incoming call reception icon 28 shown in FIG. 15 may have a physically raised shape.

  From the above, according to the third embodiment, since the tactile sensation of the incoming call reception icon 28 varies depending on whether or not there is an incoming call, the user does not need to concentrate his / her line of sight on the display screen at the time of operation. Can respond. That is, an operation that is convenient for the user can be performed.

  The tactile sensation control device described above is not only an in-vehicle navigation device, that is, a car navigation device, but also a PND (Portable Navigation Device) and a mobile communication terminal (for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal) that can be mounted on a vehicle, In addition, the present invention can also be applied to a navigation apparatus constructed as a system by appropriately combining servers and the like or an apparatus other than the navigation apparatus. In this case, each function or each component of the tactile sensation control device is distributed and arranged in each function that constructs the system.

  Specifically, as an example, the function of the tactile sensation control device can be arranged in a server. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, tactile sensation control is provided by including a display device 30 and a tactile touch panel 31 on the user side, and providing at least the operation region information acquisition unit 2, event occurrence detection unit 3, and tactile control unit 4 in the server 29. A system can be constructed. The functions of the operation region information acquisition unit 2, the event occurrence detection unit 3, and the tactile sensation control unit 4 are the same as the functions of the operation region information acquisition unit 2, the event occurrence detection unit 3, and the tactile sensation control unit 4 in FIG. is there. Moreover, the server 29 may be provided with each component as shown in FIGS. At this time, each component provided in the server 29 may be appropriately distributed and arranged in the server 29 and the display device 30.

  As another example, the function of the tactile sensation control device can be arranged in a server and a mobile communication terminal. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the display device 30 and the tactile touch panel 31 are provided on the user side, the operation area information acquisition unit 2 and the event occurrence detection unit 3 are provided on the server 32, and the tactile sense control unit 4 is provided on the mobile communication terminal 33. By providing it, a tactile sensation control system can be constructed. The functions of the operation region information acquisition unit 2, the event occurrence detection unit 3, and the tactile sensation control unit 4 are the same as the functions of the operation region information acquisition unit 2, the event occurrence detection unit 3, and the tactile sensation control unit 4 in FIG. is there. Further, the server 32 and the mobile communication terminal 33 may include each component as shown in FIGS. At this time, each component provided in the server 32 and the mobile communication terminal 33 may be appropriately distributed and arranged in the display device 30, the server 32, and the mobile communication terminal 33.

  Even if it is a case where it is said structure, the effect similar to said embodiment is acquired.

  Further, software (tactile sensation control method) for executing the operation in the above-described embodiment may be incorporated in a server or a mobile communication terminal, for example.

  Specifically, as an example, the above-described tactile sensation control method is a tactile sensation control method for controlling the tactile sensation of the user when operating the operation surface of the touch panel or the touch pad, and relates to an operation area in which the user operates on the operation surface. Information is acquired as operation area information, the occurrence of a specific event that is predetermined as an event that defines the valid state or invalid state of the operation is detected, and an operation is performed based on the acquired operation area information and the detected specific event. Control is performed such that the tactile sensation of the operation area in which is in the valid state and the operation area in which the operation is invalid are different.

  As described above, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained by operating the software that executes the operation of the above-described embodiment in a server or a mobile communication terminal.

  1, 7, 13, 16, and 17, the operation area information acquisition unit 2, the event occurrence detection unit 3, the tactile sensation control unit 4, the control unit 6, the display information generation / output unit 7, the tactile touch panel control unit 8, and the operation Each of the information acquisition unit 9, the vehicle information acquisition unit 10, the map information acquisition unit 11, the external device information acquisition control unit 12, and the communication unit 26 executes program processing using a CPU (Central Processing Unit) based on software. Is realized. If possible, the operation area information acquisition unit 2, the event occurrence detection unit 3, the tactile sensation control unit 4, the control unit 6, the display information generation output unit 7, the tactile touch panel control unit 8, the operation information acquisition unit 9, and the vehicle information Each of the acquisition unit 10, the map information acquisition unit 11, the external device information acquisition control unit 12, and the communication unit 26 is configured with hardware (for example, an operation / configuration configured to perform a specific operation or process on an electrical signal. A processing circuit or the like). Further, both of the above may be mixed.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be freely combined with each other within the scope of the invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that countless variations that are not illustrated can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tactile-feel control apparatus, 2 Operation area information acquisition part, 3 Event generation | occurrence | production detection part, 4 Tactile-feel control part, 5 Tactile-feel control apparatus, 6 Control part, 7 Display information generation output part, 8 Tactile touch panel control part, 9 Operation information acquisition part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle information acquisition part, 11 Map information acquisition part, 12 External apparatus information acquisition control part, 13 Display, 14 Tactile touch panel, 15 Map DB, 16 Audio, 17 Air conditioner, 18 Travel operation restriction icon, 19, 20 Travel operation Unrestricted icon, 21 Gesture input area, 22 Meter panel, 23 Tactile touch pad, 24 Speedometer, 25 Tactile control device, 26 Communication unit, 27 Operation icon, 28 Incoming call reception icon, 29 Server, 30 Display device, 31 Tactile touch panel 32 servers 33 mobile communication terminals.

Claims (8)

A tactile sensation control system that controls the tactile sensation of a user when operating the operation surface of the touchpad,
An operation area information acquisition unit that acquires, as operation area information, information on an operation area on which the user performs an operation on the operation surface;
An event occurrence detector that detects the occurrence of a specific event that is predetermined as an event that defines the valid or invalid state of the operation;
Based on the operation region information acquired by the operation region information acquisition unit and the specific event detected by the event occurrence detection unit, the operation region in which the operation is in a valid state, and the operation A tactile sensation control unit that controls the tactile sensation to be different from the operation area in an invalid state;
With
The operation region the operation is enabled state is an icon that have a first region and a second region touch are different,
The tactile sensation control system is characterized in that the position of the first region and the position of the second region in the icon continuously change over time. The specific event is whether or not the moving object is moving,
The tactile sensation control unit changes the tactile sensation of the operation area in the valid state to the tactile sensation of the operation area in the invalid state when the specific event that the moving body is moving occurs. The tactile sensation control system according to claim 1 , wherein the tactile sensation control system is characterized. The moving body is a vehicle;
The tactile sensation control unit changes the tactile sensation of the operation area in the invalid state to the tactile sensation of the operation area in the valid state when the user performs the operation from the passenger seat while the vehicle is traveling. The tactile sensation control system according to claim 2 . The specific event is whether to notify the presence of a curve ahead of the vehicle that occurs according to a predetermined rule,
The tactile sensation control unit changes the tactile sensation of the operation area in the valid state to the tactile sensation of the operation area in the invalid state when the specific event to be notified occurs. Item 4. The tactile sensation control system according to Item 1 . The specific event is whether there is an incoming call related to communication from outside the tactile sensation control system,
The tactile sensation control unit changes the tactile sensation of the operation region in the invalid state to the tactile sensation of the operation region in the valid state when the specific event that has received the incoming call occurs. The tactile sensation control system according to claim 1 . The said tactile sensation control part controls the said tactile sensation of the said operation surface so that the pattern of the tactile sensation with respect to the said operation area may change with progress of time, The one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Tactile control system. The tactile sensation control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein one of the operation area and a display area for displaying information related to the operation is wider than the other. A tactile sensation control method for controlling a tactile sensation of a user at the time of operation on an operation surface of a touch pad,
Obtaining information on an operation area on which the user operates on the operation surface as operation area information;
Detecting the occurrence of a specific event that is predetermined as an event that defines the valid or invalid state of the operation;
Based on the acquired operation area information and the detected specific event, the tactile sensation of the operation area in which the operation is valid and the operation area in which the operation is invalid are different. Control
The operation region the operation is enabled state is an icon that have a first region and a second region touch are different,
The tactile sensation control method, wherein the position of the first area and the position of the second area in the icon are controlled so as to change continuously over time.

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