JP7327536B2 - vehicle cockpit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle cockpit.

Patent Literature 1 listed below discloses an invention relating to a speaker mounting structure. In this speaker mounting structure, the speaker is fitted into a circular hole provided in the center of the scale plate of the speedometer and tachometer in the instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as "instrument panel"). As a result, the speaker can be placed facing the driver.

JP-A-2005-86604

By the way, in recent years, interactive devices, such as smart speakers, have been developed that enable voice operations through dialogue. It is envisioned that the device will be used by passengers other than the driver. The prior art described above has room for improvement in terms of making it easier for passengers to interact with the interaction device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle cockpit that allows a passenger to easily interact with a dialogue device.

A vehicle cockpit according to the invention of claim 1 is connected to the Internet and is provided with a dialogue device capable of having a dialogue with an occupant; an instrument panel including an upper wall portion facing the occupant , wherein the interactive device is fixed to the center of the upper wall portion in the vehicle width direction, the interactive device includes an output unit for outputting sound ; a cover member provided on the upper wall so as to cover the output unit and having a plurality of through holes; a control unit for instructing speech content to be output to the output unit; and a light-emitting portion that changes the light-emitting color or light-emitting pattern.

In the vehicle cockpit according to the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, the interactive device performs information communication with an intelligent server.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle cockpit according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the intelligent server is configured as cloud computing.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle cockpit according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the interactive device includes a generator, and the generator generates a response sentence using a learning model.

A vehicle cockpit according to a fifth aspect of the invention is the vehicle cockpit according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the dialogue device comprises an input unit that collects the voice uttered by the passenger, and from the volume of the voice collected by the input unit: a specifying unit that acquires the sound intensity and specifies the direction in which the sound is generated.

The vehicle cockpit according to the present invention can make it easier for the occupant to interact with the interaction device.

It is a perspective view showing the state where the cockpit for vehicles concerning one embodiment was seen from the vehicles rear side. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a vehicle cockpit according to one embodiment is viewed from the vehicle rear side and the vehicle width direction outer side; FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state seen from a different angle with respect to FIG. 2;

An embodiment of a vehicle cockpit according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

(overall structure)
As shown in FIG. 1 , a vehicle cockpit 10 of this embodiment has an instrument panel 12 and a center console 14 . The instrument panel 12 is provided on the front side of the vehicle in the vehicle interior 16 . Specifically, the instrument panel 12 is arranged on the upper side of the vehicle rear side of a dash panel (not shown) that separates the vehicle interior 16 from the front portion of the vehicle. The lower end of the dash panel is joined to the front end of the floor panel (not shown). The floor panel constitutes the lower surface of the passenger compartment 16 . A cowl (not shown) is joined to the upper end of the dash panel, and this cowl supports the lower end of the windshield 18 . The windshield 18 constitutes the upper front surface of the passenger compartment 16 , and its lower end side is arranged on the upper end side of the instrument panel 12 .

A front seat (not shown) serving as a vehicle passenger seat is provided on the vehicle rear side of the instrument panel 12 . As for the front seats, in this embodiment, the front right side of the passenger compartment 16 is a passenger's seat, and the front left side of the passenger compartment 16 is a driver's seat. A center console 14 is arranged at the center of the vehicle width direction on the front side of the passenger compartment 16 . Further, in the present embodiment, as an example, the front seat has a seat front-rear direction aligned with the vehicle front-rear direction and a seat width direction aligned with the vehicle width direction.

The instrument panel 12 is configured as an interior that extends along the vehicle width direction. An elongated instrument panel reinforcement (not shown) is disposed along the vehicle width direction on the inner side (vehicle front side) upper part of the instrument panel 12, and the instrument panel 12 is arranged at a plurality of locations on this instrument panel reinforcement. is attached with The instrument panel reinforcement is a metal pipe material, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are fixed to the lower side of a pair of front pillars 13 erected on the left and right sides of the vehicle body.

The instrument panel 12 extends in the width direction of the vehicle when viewed from the rear side of the vehicle, and includes an upper wall portion 12A that constitutes the upper surface thereof, and a vertical wall portion 12B that extends substantially in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. It is configured.

The center console 14 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at the vehicle width direction center and the vehicle lower side of the instrument panel 12 and is attached to the floor panel.

A register portion 20 is provided between the upper wall portion 12A and the vertical wall portion 12B. As shown in FIG. 2, the register section 20 has a register body section 20A and fins 20B. The register main body 20A is formed in a substantially U shape that opens toward the rear side of the vehicle when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and the front side of the vehicle is connected to an air conditioner wind guide duct (not shown). The upper edge of the opening of the register body 20A is the rear edge 12AA of the upper wall 12A, and the lower edge of the opening is the upper edge 12BA of the vertical wall 12B. The upper edge portion 12BA is located on the rear side of the vehicle relative to the rear edge portion 12AA (see also FIG. 3). located on the lower side. As a result, the register unit 20 can hold a small article such as the smart phone 21 as an example.

A plurality of fins 20B are provided in the register main body 20A, and are formed in a plate shape having a longitudinal direction in the vehicle width direction and a plate thickness direction substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle. A plurality of fins 20B (two in this embodiment) are provided on each of the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side. Further, the register main body 20A is provided in a pair on the left and right across a dialogue device holding section 12C, which is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction and will be described later. In other words, the register portion 20 is provided at a portion of the instrument panel 12 other than the center in the vehicle width direction. The plurality of fins 20B are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

A gauge section 22 and a column section 24 are provided on the driver's seat side of the instrument panel 12 . Specifically, the meter section 22 is provided on the rear edge section 12AA of the upper wall section 12A. The rear edge portion 12AA on which the instrument portion 22 is provided is formed so as to be recessed toward the front side of the vehicle when viewed from above (see FIG. 3). is provided. As an example, the instrument 22A is formed in a substantially columnar shape whose axial direction is substantially the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is arranged side by side in the width direction of the vehicle. Note that the diameter of the gauge 22A is set smaller than the diameter of the dialogue device 28, which will be described later.

The column portion 24 is provided in the vertical wall portion 12B and has a notch in which a column cover 24A for covering a steering column (not shown) is provided. A steering wheel 30 connected to a steering column is provided on the interior side of the column cover 24A.

(Dialogue device holding part)
A dialog device holding portion 12C as a portion surrounding the dialog device 28 of the instrument panel 12 is formed in the center portion of the upper wall portion 12A of the instrument panel 12 in the vehicle width direction. The dialog device holding portion 12C is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape that is inclined toward the rear side of the vehicle as the axial direction goes toward the upper side of the vehicle and is partially open on the rear side of the vehicle. are housed in The upper outer edge portion 12CA as a connecting surface of the dialogue device holding portion 12C is a general design surface 12F which is a design surface other than the upper outer edge portion 12CA so as to be connected to a display panel integrated cover 28A described later as the upper surface of the dialogue device 28. It is formed in a shape that protrudes toward the upper side of the vehicle. A portion of the upper outer edge portion 12CA on the vehicle rear side is cut away, and the register portion 20 and the dialog device holding portion 12C are continuously formed. In other words, the vehicle rear side of the side surface of the dialogue device 28 is exposed toward the vehicle interior 16 .

(Dialogue device)
The dialogue device 28 is also called an AI (Artificial Intelligence) speaker or a smart speaker. As an example, the dialogue device 28 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape whose axis is substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle. 28 C of output parts are provided, respectively. The input section 28B is internally provided with a plurality of microphones (not shown). In addition, the output section 28C is internally provided with a plurality of speakers (not shown). The input section 28B and the output section 28C are covered by a dome-shaped display panel integrated cover 28A that constitutes the upper portion of the interactive device 28 and is exposed in the vehicle interior 16 .

A plurality of through-holes 28AA are formed in the display panel integrated cover 28A, and the through-holes 28AA are formed to open toward the front left side of the passenger compartment 16, that is, toward the driver's seat side. In addition, the display panel integrated cover 28A has a display panel (not shown) on the back side, which is capable of displaying characters, graphics, etc. according to instructions from a control unit (not shown). Characters and graphics displayed on the display panel can be viewed from the side. The dialogue device 28 is fixed in the dialogue device holding portion 12C by a turning mechanism (not shown) so as to be rotatable in the dialogue device holding portion 12C about the vertical direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the opening of the through hole 28AA of the display panel integrated cover 28A can be directed to the front right side of the vehicle compartment 16, that is, to the front passenger's seat side.

The operation of the interactive device 28 will now be described. As an example, the dialogue device 28 also includes a specifying unit, a generating unit, and a communicating unit (none of which is shown). The voice collected by the input section 28B is converted into a voice signal by the microphone of the input section 28B and notified to the specifying section. The specifying unit acquires the sound intensity representing the loudness of the sound from the sound signal notified from the input unit 28B, and specifies from which direction the sound is emitted. The identifying unit notifies the control unit of the identified sound direction and notifies the generating unit of the sound signal.

The generation unit analyzes the content of the voice represented by the audio signal notified from the identification unit, and generates a response sentence according to the content of the voice. Specifically, the generation unit performs data communication with an externally provided intelligent server via a communication unit equipped with a communication protocol that connects to a communication line such as the Internet, and generates a response sentence suitable for the contents of the voice. to generate

Various information is stored in the intelligent server, and information requested by the interactive device 28 is sent to the interactive device 28 . Note that the intelligent server may be configured as cloud computing, for example.

For example, when the generation unit receives a voice signal having the content of "What is the weather in Tokyo today?" On the other hand, when information "sunny" is received from the intelligent server, the generation unit uses a predetermined learning model based on the content of the voice received from the identification unit and the information received from the intelligent server, for example, " The weather in Tokyo today is fine." is generated.

The generation unit may use a predetermined learning model also when grasping the content of the voice received from the identification unit. As a learning model, for example, a multi-layer neural network is used in which weighting between neurons is learned in advance by deep learning using a combination of a teacher signal and an input signal.

The generation unit converts the content of the speech received from the identification unit into a sentence by a known method, and then performs, for example, morphological analysis on the sentence to divide the sentence into morphemes. Then, the generator can grasp the content of the sentence by inputting each morpheme of the sentence divided into morphemes into the learning model.

In addition, the generation unit inputs, for example, the morpheme of the sentence represented by the voice received from the identification unit and the information received from the intelligent server into the learning model, so that the sentence represented by the voice received from the identification unit is input to the learning model. can generate an answer to the content of

In this way, the generation unit uses artificial intelligence that artificially realizes human knowledge learning and human inference and judgment based on various information, and is represented by the audio signal received from the identification unit Generate a response sentence according to the contents of the voice.

The generation unit notifies the output unit 28C of the generated response sentence. The output unit 28C converts the response sentence generated by the generation unit into an audio signal using a known speech synthesis process, and outputs the converted audio signal to the speaker of the output unit 28C. As a result, responses to voices such as instructions and questions to the dialogue device 28 collected by the input unit 28B are output as voices from the output unit 28C.

When converting a response sentence into a voice signal, the output unit 28C uses voice having a predetermined standard sound quality (hereinafter referred to as "reference voice"). That is, the sound quality such as pitch and speech rate of the voice output from the output unit 28C conforms to the sound quality of the reference voice.

Note that the output unit 28C follows instructions from the control unit regarding at least one of the sound intensity of the sound and the speaker that outputs the sound.

The control unit acquires information necessary for control from each functional unit of the input unit 28B, the specifying unit, the generating unit, the communication unit, and the output unit 28C, and controls the processing of each functional unit based on the acquired information.

A light-emitting portion 28E is provided on the side of the interactive device 28 on the rear side of the vehicle. Specifically, the light emitting portion 28E is provided at a portion exposed inside the vehicle interior 16 by cutting out the upper outer edge portion 12CA of the dialogue device holding portion 12C. The light-emitting unit 28E is configured to emit light in various colors and light-emitting patterns in accordance with instructions from the control unit. For example, it is possible to change the light-emitting color and light-emitting pattern based on the content of dialogue. This makes it easier for the passenger to understand whether or not the dialogue device 28 recognizes dialogue.

(drink holder)
A pair of left and right drink holders 32 are provided on the vertical wall portion 12B at the center of the instrument panel 12 in the vehicle width direction. The drink holder 32 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a shape in which a part of the side surface on the vehicle rear side, the end on the vehicle upper side, and the end on the vehicle lower side are opened. In other words, a portion of the side surface of the drink holder 32 on the vehicle rear side is notched. In other words, the shape of the drink holder 32 is substantially similar to the shape of the dialog device holding portion 12C of the upper wall portion 12A of the instrument panel 12 when viewed from the top of the vehicle. The diameter of the drink holder 32 is set to a size that can accommodate, for example, a water bottle 31 with a capacity of about 500 ml, which is on the market.

A support member 34 is provided on the vehicle lower side of the drink holder 32 so that the bottom surface of the container housed in the drink holder 32 can be supported from the vehicle lower side. The support member 34 is a plate-like member whose plate thickness direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle, and is sized to fit inside the drink holder 32 in a plan view of the vehicle. Each extends outward in the vehicle width direction from a portion between the holders 32 . Further, the support member 34 can be moved within the drink holder 32 substantially along the vertical direction of the vehicle by an operation member (not shown), and can be stopped at an arbitrary position.

(control panel)
An operation panel 36 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the interactive device 28 . The operation panel 36 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is substantially the vertical direction of the vehicle when viewed from the front of the vehicle. An operation panel 36 is attached to the vehicle rear side surface of the instrument panel 12 between the pair of right and left drink holders 32 . The dimension of the operation panel 36 in the vehicle width direction is set smaller than the dimension of the interactive device 28 in the vehicle width direction. Further, the operation panel 36 is attached so as to be inclined toward the front side of the vehicle as it goes toward the upper side of the vehicle, so that the hazard lamp switch 40 and the air conditioner operation switch 42 are directed toward the passenger side.

(Action and effect of the embodiment)
Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, the vehicle cockpit 10 has an interactive device 28 and an instrument panel 12 . The dialogue device 28 has an input section 28B that collects voices uttered by the passengers, and an output section 28C that outputs the voices to the passengers. Since the dialogue device 28 is fixed to the center of the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 12 provided in the front part of the passenger compartment 16 , the passenger can easily recognize the dialogue device 28 . An input section 28B and an output section 28C of the interactive device 28 are exposed inside the vehicle. Therefore, since the dialogue device 28 is in a state where nothing blocks the input part 28B and the output part 28C of the dialogue device 28, it becomes easier for the passenger to input voice and hear the output voice when interacting with the dialogue device 28. . This makes it easier for the passenger to have a dialogue with the dialogue device 28 .

Further, openings of through holes 28AA formed in the input section 28B and the output section 28C of the dialogue device 28 are arranged toward the passenger seat side. Therefore, the voice of the occupant seated in the passenger seat can be easily transmitted to the inside of the dialogue device 28 through the opening of the through hole 28AA, and the sound emitted by the dialogue device 28 can be transmitted through the opening of the through hole 28AA to the dialogue device 28. It becomes easy to transmit to the crew member who is outside. This makes it easier to interact with the interaction device 28 .

Furthermore, since the through-hole 28AA of the dialogue device 28 is open toward the driver's seat, the driver's voice input can be performed more satisfactorily, and the sound from the dialogue device 28 can be heard by the driver. easier. Therefore, the driver can have a dialogue with the dialogue device 28 without disturbing the driving. This makes it easier for the driver to interact with the interaction device 28 .

Furthermore, since the dialogue device 28 is attached to the instrument panel 12 so that the orientation of the opening of the through hole 28AA can be changed by the rotation mechanism, the dialogue device 28 can be directed toward the passenger who mainly uses it. Therefore, the interaction by the interaction device 28 can be conducted comfortably. Thereby, the usability of the interactive device 28 can be improved.

The input part 28B and the output part 28C of the dialogue device 28 protrude from the general design surface 12F of the instrument panel 12 toward the interior of the vehicle. A connecting upper outer edge portion 12CA is formed on the instrument panel 12 . Therefore, the input section 28B and the output section 28C of the dialogue device 28 have a sense of unity with the instrument panel 12 and have an appearance emphasized with respect to the instrument panel 12, so that the passenger can easily recognize the dialogue device 28. As a result, it is possible to further facilitate dialogue by the dialogue device 28 while improving the appearance design.

Furthermore, a drink holder 32 that holds a water bottle 31 and the like is provided on the vehicle rear side of the interactive device 28 . Since the drink holder 32 is formed in a shape substantially similar to the shape of the dialogue device holding portion 12C of the instrument panel 12, the sense of unity and continuity in the appearance design is improved. As a result, it is possible to further improve the appearance design.

Furthermore, since the portion of the drink holder 32 surrounding the water bottle 31 is cut open on the vehicle interior 16 side, the water bottle 31 held by the drink holder 32 is viewed from the passenger. You can see the front side. Therefore, it is possible not only to improve usability, but also to set a favorite water bottle 31 in the drink holder 32 to create a space of one's own choice. This makes it easier for the user to have attachment.

In addition, since the support member 34 that supports the bottom surface of the container housed in the drink holder 32 provided on the vehicle lower side of the drink holder 32 is movable in the vertical direction of the vehicle, the inside of the drink holder 32 The depth within the accommodation space can be varied. Therefore, the depth of the accommodation space can be changed according to the size of the container accommodated in the drink holder 32 so that the container can be easily put in and taken out of the drink holder 32 . This makes it possible to further improve usability.

Further, the instrument panel 12 is provided with a gauge section 22 . Since the instrument portion 22 is formed in a shape substantially similar to the shape of the dialog device holding portion 12C of the instrument panel 12, the sense of unity and continuity in the exterior design is improved. Thereby, appearance design property can be improved further.

Furthermore, an operation panel 36 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the dialogue device holding portion 12C, and the operation panel 36 is provided with a hazard lamp switch 40 and an air conditioner operation switch 42. As shown in FIG. Therefore, operability can be maintained by operating through the operation panel 36 an object that is not suitable for operation by the interactive device 28 . Further, the operation panel 36 is set smaller than the interactive device 28 in at least the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the interactive device 28 is set larger than the gauge 22A. In other words, the interactive device 28 has the second largest size after the steering wheel 30 among the members inside the vehicle compartment 16 used for steering the vehicle, and is provided at the center of the instrument panel 12 in the vehicle width direction. It becomes an image like a black pillar. Therefore, the interaction device 28 has a greater presence than the operation panel 36, and the operation by the interaction device 28 can be urged. As a result, it is possible to provide an advanced appearance design while maintaining operability.

In the above-described embodiment, the interactive device 28 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. In accordance with this, the shapes of the dialogue device holding portion 12C and the drink holder 32 may be made into other shapes such as a rectangular tube shape. Further, the shapes of the dialogue device holding portion 12C and the drink holder 32 are substantially similar when viewed from the top of the vehicle, but they may have different shapes.

Furthermore, the interactive device 28 is configured such that the display panel integrated cover 28A is provided with the through hole 28AA, but this is not limiting, and the display panel integrated cover 28A may be configured without the through hole 28AA. A configuration in which the through hole 28AA is provided in another portion may be adopted.

Furthermore, the input part 28B and the output part 28C of the dialogue device 28 protrude into the passenger compartment from the general design surface 12F of the instrument panel 12, but are not limited to this, and are substantially flush with the general design surface 12F of the instrument panel 12. A configuration in which an interactive device 28 is provided on top may be employed. Further, the upper outer edge portion 12CA is formed on the instrument panel 12 so as to continuously connect the interactive device 28 and the general design surface 12F of the instrument panel 12. However, the upper outer edge portion 12CA is not limited to this. Other shapes such as a flat shape may also be used.

In addition, the dialog device 28 is configured such that responses to voices such as instructions and questions to the dialog device 28 collected by the input unit 28B are output as voices from the output unit 28C. Responses to instructions and queries to interactive device 28 may be configured to send instructions to other devices inside or outside the vehicle.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is possible to implement various modifications other than the above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course.

10 vehicle cockpit 12 instrument panel (instrument panel)
12C dialog device holding part (part surrounding the dialog device in the instrument panel)
12CA Upper outer edge (joint surface)
12F general design surface 16 cabin 28 dialogue device 28AA through hole 28B input section 28C output section 32 drink holder 34 support member 36 operation panel 40 hazard lamp switch (operation switch)
42 Air conditioner operation switch (operation switch)

Claims (5)

an interactive device connected to the Internet and capable of interacting with a passenger;
an instrument panel provided in the front part of the passenger compartment and including an upper wall part that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and faces the occupant ;
has
The interactive device is fixed to the center of the upper wall in the vehicle width direction,
The interactive device is
an output unit that outputs audio;
a cover member provided on the upper wall portion so as to cover the output portion and having a plurality of through holes;
a control unit for instructing audio content to be output to the output unit;
a light-emitting unit that changes a light-emitting color or a light-emitting pattern based on the content of the dialogue in accordance with instructions from the control unit;
A vehicle cockpit with 2. The vehicle cockpit according to claim 1, wherein said interactive device communicates information with an intelligence server. 3. A vehicle cockpit according to claim 2, wherein said intelligence server is configured as cloud computing. the interactive device includes a generator;
2. The vehicle cockpit according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates a response sentence using a learning model. The interactive device is
an input unit that collects the voice uttered by the passenger;
a specifying unit that acquires the sound intensity from the volume of the sound collected by the input unit and specifies the direction in which the sound is generated;
2. The vehicle cockpit of claim 1, comprising: