JP6581867B2 - Steering marker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering discriminating marker, and more particularly to a steering discriminating marker for a driver to discriminate the positions of a plurality of operation units arranged on the surface of a steering wheel.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to operate in-vehicle devices such as navigation devices, audio devices, and air-conditioning devices installed in automobiles while a driver is driving the automobile, a plurality of operation units that operate the in-vehicle devices are provided on the surface of the steering wheel. Has been placed.

  In general, the plurality of operation units are arranged side by side in a plane without causing large unevenness, which may make it difficult for the driver to sensuously determine the position of the operation unit. In particular, in an operation unit using a touch panel or the like operated by a change in capacitance, it is more difficult to determine the position of the operation unit because there is no unevenness. Therefore, there is a need for a steering discrimination marker that can discriminate the position of the operation unit by touch.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a touch switch that improves operability as a technique for discriminating the position of the operation unit by touch. In this touch switch, a vibration part is arranged around the contact sensor, and the vibration of the vibration part is transmitted to a finger touching the contact sensor, so that the position of the contact sensor can be determined.

JP 2009-248956 A

  However, the touch switch of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is necessary to dispose the vibrator and the wiring in a narrow space, and a large amount of labor is required to install the vibration unit.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering discriminating marker that is easily installed on a steering wheel.

The steering discrimination marker according to the present invention is a steering discrimination marker for a driver to discriminate the positions of a plurality of operation units in a steering wheel having a plurality of operation units arranged on the surface for operating an in-vehicle device of an automobile. a is, for the boundary for dividing the plurality of operation portions, the driver while being arranged from Oite position directly facing the rear surface of the steering wheel at a position displaced upward according to the angle of the steering wheel is tactilely It is formed so that it can be sensed, and a driver who holds the steering wheel touches from the back side to determine the positions of a plurality of operation units.

  Here, it is preferably formed so as to protrude or dent from the back surface of the steering wheel.

  In addition, the boundary portion is preferably arranged so as to extend linearly, and is arranged so as to extend substantially parallel to the boundary portion.

Moreover, it can arrange | position so that it may rank with a boundary part and a horizontal direction in the back surface of a steering wheel .
Further, it can be provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the rear surface of the steering wheel .

  According to the present invention, the driver who is disposed on the rear surface of the steering wheel corresponding to the boundary portion that divides the plurality of operation portions and is formed so that the driver can sense by touch and grips the steering wheel is viewed from the rear surface side. Since the positions of the plurality of operation units are determined by touching, it is possible to provide a steering determination marker that is easily installed on the steering wheel.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the steering wheel provided with the discrimination | determination marker for steering which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the discrimination | determination marker for steering. It is a side view which shows the structure of the discrimination | determination marker for steering. It is a figure which shows the structure of the motor vehicle by which the steering wheel is arrange | positioned. 6 is a side view showing a configuration of a steering discrimination marker according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a steering discrimination marker according to a modification of the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the discrimination | determination marker when two operation parts are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. It is a figure which shows the structure of the discrimination marker arrange | positioned so that a movement with respect to a steering wheel is possible.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a steering wheel provided with a steering discrimination marker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The steering wheel is steered by a driver D who drives the automobile, and is arranged so that the front surface S faces the driver D sitting on the driver's seat, that is, the front surface S faces the rear of the vehicle and the rear surface is the front of the vehicle. It is arranged to face. The steering wheel includes a grip portion 1 having an annular shape, a boss portion 2 disposed at a substantially central portion of the grip portion 1, a spoke portion 3 connecting the grip portion 1 and the boss portion 2, and a spoke portion 3 It has two operation parts 4a and 4b arranged.
It is assumed that the steering wheel is in a neutral posture that is not rotating.

  The grip portion 1 is gripped when the driver D drives the automobile, and is arranged such that the central axis extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. On both sides of the grip portion 1, mounting portions 5 that protrude inward from the inner peripheral surface are provided. The placing portion 5 is for placing a thumb when the driver D grasps the grasping portion 1. The placing portion 5 is disposed above the upper half of the grasping portion 1, that is, above the central axis of the grasping portion 1. Yes.

The boss portion 2 is disposed so as to include the central portion of the grip portion 1 and is connected to a rotating shaft portion extending from an instrument panel (not shown).
The spoke part 3 extends from both sides of the boss part 2 in the right direction and the left direction, is connected to the grip part 1, and extends downward from the lower part of the boss part 2 to be connected to the grip part 1.

The operation parts 4a and 4b are for operating the in-vehicle device mounted in the automobile, and are arranged on the surface S of the spoke part 3 in the vertical direction. Examples of the operation units 4a and 4b include a push-type operation unit that is operated when the driver D presses down, a touch panel type operation unit that is operated by a change in capacitance, and the like. In addition, a boundary 6 that separates the operation unit 4a and the operation unit 4b is disposed between the operation unit 4a and the operation unit 4b.
The boundary portion 6 is a portion that does not contribute to the operation of the in-vehicle device between the operation portion 4a and the operation portion 4b, and is formed so as to extend linearly in the left-right direction along the spoke portion 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a discrimination marker 7 is disposed on the back surface R of the spoke portion 3 so as to correspond to the boundary portion 6. The discrimination marker 7 is formed integrally with the spoke portion 3 and extends in the left-right direction substantially parallel to the boundary portion 6. Specifically, the discrimination marker 7 extends from the right side connected to the grip portion 1 in the spoke portion 3 to the vicinity of the intermediate portion. It is provided as follows. This discrimination marker 7 is used to discriminate the positions of the operation units 4a and 4b by touching the driver D holding the steering wheel grip 1 with a finger from the rear surface R side, as shown in FIG. Further, it is formed so as to protrude from the rear surface R of the spoke portion 3 and to have a semicircular cross section. Further, the discrimination marker 7 is arranged so as to be aligned with the boundary portion 6 along the central axis L of the grip portion 1, that is, the position facing the boundary portion 6 across the spoke portion 3.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration of an automobile in which the steering wheel is arranged.
The automobile is disposed on the driver's seat 8, the instrument panel 9 disposed in front of the driver's seat 8, the steering wheel 10 disposed between the driver's seat 8 and the instrument panel 9, and the instrument panel 9. Vehicle-mounted device 11.

The instrument panel 9 is arranged so that the front part of the vehicle compartment extends in the vehicle width direction.
The in-vehicle device 11 indicates a device mounted on an automobile, and examples thereof include various devices such as navigation devices, audio devices, and air conditioning devices.

  The steering wheel 10 is disposed so that the front surface S faces the driver's seat 8 and the back surface R faces the instrument panel 9, and the central axis L extends while gently tilting upward from the front to the rear. .

Next, the operation of Embodiment 1 of this embodiment will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 4, the driver D grips the grip 1 of the steering wheel 10 and drives the vehicle. Here, when the driver D wants to operate the vehicle-mounted device 11 while driving the automobile, as shown in FIG. 2, the determination marker 7 is touched with a finger, for example, a middle finger, from the rear surface R side of the steering wheel.
As shown in FIG. 3, the discrimination marker 7 is provided so as to protrude from the rear surface R of the spoke portion 3 and can be easily sensed by the sense of touch of the middle finger. In this way, the driver D can grasp the position of the boundary portion 6 arranged on the surface S of the spoke portion 3 by facing the determination marker 7 by touching the determination marker 7 with the middle finger. As a result, the driver D can sensuously determine the positions of the operation unit 4a and the operation unit 4b separated by the boundary unit 6, and as shown in FIG. 1, the driver D looks at the operation units 4a and 4b. It can be operated accurately without shifting.

Here, since the determination marker 7 is arranged so as to extend in parallel with the boundary portion 6, the positions of the operation portions 4a and 4b can be accurately determined.
Further, since the determination marker 7 is disposed at a position facing the boundary portion 6 across the steering wheel, the positions of the operation units 4a and 4b can be determined more accurately.

Further, since the discrimination marker 7 is disposed on the rear surface R of the steering wheel, the operation units 4a and 4b can be smoothly operated without hindering the operation of the operation units 4a and 4b.
Moreover, since the discrimination marker 7 is arranged on the right side connected to the grip 1 in the spoke part 3, that is, on the right side of the steering wheel, it can be easily touched while gripping the grip 1, The operation units 4a and 4b can be safely operated in a state where the grip unit 1 is gripped in an appropriate grip posture.
Thus, the driver D can safely operate the operation units 4a and 4b while driving the automobile.

  According to the present embodiment, it is arranged on the rear surface R of the steering wheel corresponding to the boundary portion 6 that separates the operation portions 4a and 4b, and the driver D is formed so that it can be sensed by touch. Can be installed.

Embodiment 2
In the first embodiment, the discrimination marker 7 is arranged at a position facing the boundary portion 6 across the steering wheel, but corresponds to the boundary portion 6 so that the driver D can determine the positions of the operation portions 4a and 4b. It is not limited to that position.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the discrimination marker 21 can be arranged on the back surface R of the spoke portion 3 instead of the discrimination marker 7 of the first embodiment. The discrimination marker 21 is disposed above the position facing the boundary portion 6 across the steering wheel, that is, at a position shifted upward with respect to the boundary portion 6 in the direction along the central axis L of the grip portion 1. For example, as the steering wheel is tilted and the surface S is directed upward, that is, as the inclination angle of the steering wheel with respect to the horizontal plane becomes smaller, the driver D determines that the position of the boundary portion 6 is positioned below the discrimination marker 21. There is a case.

Therefore, by arranging the determination marker 21 above the position facing the boundary portion 6 across the steering wheel, the driver D can accurately determine the positions of the operation portions 4a and 4b. Here, the discrimination marker 21 is preferably arranged so as to be aligned with the boundary portion 6 in the horizontal direction, that is, at the same height as the boundary portion 6.
In the first embodiment, the discrimination marker 7 is arranged so as to correspond to the middle finger of the driver D. However, the discrimination marker can also be arranged corresponding to a finger other than the middle finger. It can also be arranged at a position displaced in the direction.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, a discrimination marker 22 can be arranged instead of the discrimination marker 7 of the first embodiment. The discrimination marker 22 is disposed on a straight line T drawn from the center R of the steering wheel so as to pass through the center of the boundary portion 6 in the radial direction.

  According to the present embodiment, the positions of the operation units 4a and 4b can be accurately determined by arranging the determination marker according to the angle and shape of the steering wheel, the finger touching the determination marker, and the like.

In the first and second embodiments, the operation units 4a and 4b are arranged in the vertical direction on the surface S of the spoke unit 3, but the arrangement direction is not particularly limited.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the two operation parts 31 a and 31 b can be arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the surface S of the spoke part 3. At this time, the boundary part 32 which divides the operation part 31a and the operation part 31b is arrange | positioned so that it may extend in an up-down direction. For this reason, the discrimination marker 33 is arranged to extend in the vertical direction at a position corresponding to the boundary portion 32.

In the first and second embodiments, the two operation units 4a and 4b are arranged. However, the operation units are not limited to two as long as a plurality of operation units are arranged.
In the first and second embodiments, the operation units 4a and 4b are arranged only in the portion extending from the right side of the boss portion 2 in the spoke unit 3, but it is sufficient that a plurality of operation units can be arranged. However, it is not limited to this.
In the first and second embodiments, the discrimination marker is arranged so as to extend linearly. However, the discrimination marker can be changed according to the shape of the boundary portion 6, that is, the arrangement of the operation portions 4a and 4b. It is not limited to the shape. For example, when the boundary portion 6 is formed to extend in a curved shape, the discrimination marker 7 can also be arranged to extend in a curved shape.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the discrimination marker is disposed on the spoke portion 3. However, the determination marker may be disposed on the back surface R of the steering wheel so as to correspond to the boundary portion 6. It is not limited. For example, it can also be arranged on the back surface R of the grip portion 1 corresponding to the boundary portion 6. However, it is preferable to arrange the spoke part 3 on the side part connected to the grip part 1 so that the fingertip of the driver D can touch.

In the first and second embodiments, the discrimination marker is formed so as to protrude from the rear surface R of the steering wheel. However, it is sufficient that the driver D is formed so as to be sensed by tactile sense. It is not something that can be done. For example, the discrimination marker can be formed so as to be recessed from the rear surface R of the steering wheel.
In the first and second embodiments, the discrimination marker is formed to have a semicircular cross section. However, it is sufficient that the driver D is formed so that the driver D can detect it by touch. It is not limited. For example, it can be formed so as to have a trapezoidal cross section that decreases in width toward the tip.

In the first and second embodiments, the determination marker is a distance range in which the driver D's finger can move in the vertical direction with respect to the position facing the boundary portion 6 with the steering wheel interposed therebetween, for example, about 5 cm. It is preferable to arrange in the distance range.
In the first and second embodiments, the discrimination marker can be arranged to be movable with respect to the spoke portion 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a discrimination marker 34 can be arranged in place of the discrimination marker 7 of the first embodiment. The discrimination marker 34 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the spoke portion 3. Thereby, the position of the discrimination marker 34 can be finely adjusted. For example, the driver D can finely adjust the position of the discrimination marker 34 to a desired position according to his / her sense.
Further, in the first and second embodiments, the determination marker can be detachably disposed on the rear surface R of the steering wheel.

1 gripping part, 2 boss part, 3 spoke part, 4a, 4b, 31a, 31b operation part, 5 mounting part, 6, 32 boundary part, 7, 21, 22, 33, 34 discrimination marker, 8 driver's seat, 9 Instrument panel, 10 Steering wheel, 11 In-vehicle device, D driver, S surface, R back surface, L center axis, R center, T straight line.

Claims (5)

A steering discriminating marker for a driver to discriminate the positions of the plurality of operation units in a steering wheel having a plurality of operation units arranged on the surface for operating an in-vehicle device of an automobile,
For the boundary for dividing the plurality of operation portions, the said driver with a Oite position directly facing the rear surface of the steering wheel is arranged at a position shifted upward in response to the angle of the steering wheel is tactilely A steering discriminating marker that is formed so as to be sensed, and that discriminates the positions of the plurality of operation units by touching the driver holding the steering wheel from the back side.   The steering discriminating marker according to claim 1, wherein the steering discriminating marker is formed so as to protrude or dent from the back surface of the steering wheel. The boundary portion is arranged to extend linearly,
The steering discriminating marker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the steering discriminating marker is arranged so as to extend substantially parallel to the boundary portion. The steering discriminating marker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the steering discriminating marker is arranged so as to be aligned in a horizontal direction with the boundary portion on a rear surface of the steering wheel . The steering determination marker according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the steering determination marker is provided so as to be movable in a vertical direction along a rear surface of the steering wheel .

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