JPH1029446A - Display operating device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the operability of various operation switches that are incorporated in the instrument panel of a vehicle, and also to enhance the visibility of a display. SOLUTION: A display and an operation switch by which the contents of display are controlled are separated, and the switch supporting body 6 in which the operation switch has been incorporated is movably provided, and when it is used, the body 6 is selectively positioned in the operational position at the near part of an instrument panel 1 in response to the operation of a working switch 7. A display 4 whose contents of display are controlled by the operation of a working switch or an operation switch is vertically movably provided to the innermost part of the instrument panel, and the display effective region of the display screen is made variable by vertically moving the display in accordance with the contents of display by means of a slide mechanism 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display operation device for a vehicle, which improves operability of various operation switches and visibility of a display.

[0002]

2. Related Art In general, an instrument panel of a vehicle incorporates a display (combination meter) such as a speedometer and a tachometer, and operation switches associated with driving operations such as a hazard switch and a defogger switch. Usually, the combination meter is provided on the upper surface of the instrument panel behind the steering wheel and positioned in front of the driver. An operation switch associated with the driving operation is arranged around the combination meter on the instrument panel, so that operability by a driver is ensured. That is, these arrangements (layouts) are set so that the display contents of the combination meter can be easily visually recognized without disturbing the driving posture, and various operation switches can be easily operated within the range of the operation reach of the driver. .

In recent years, air conditioners, various types of audio equipment, navigation devices, and the like have been increasingly mounted as accessory equipment of vehicles.
With the incorporation of these kinds of accessory devices, a large number of operation switches have been narrowly arranged around the driver's seat including the instrument panel.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned accessory and its operation unit are exclusively incorporated in the center part of the instrument panel, the center console, or the like. For example, the display of the navigation device is incorporated in the front of the central part of the instrument panel, and the operation unit of the air conditioner is hung from the lower position on the center console,
Audio equipment such as a tape deck and a disk device is incorporated. In addition, various attempts have been made to display not only navigation information but also various auxiliary information relating to driving conditions using the display. However, although the operation switches of these accessory devices are basically arranged collectively for each accessory device, many operation switches are arranged in a limited area of the instrument panel including the center console. Therefore, the function of each operation switch becomes difficult to understand or operate.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 4-195882 and Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Hei 7-15447 disclose an operation switch for an audio device or the like provided on a slide body so as to be stored therein. A technique is disclosed in which the slide body is pulled out to the front surface only when the slide switch is used to expose the operation switch. It is also disclosed that the display for display is pulled out to the front of the instrument panel only when the display is used.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-140884 discloses that
The display device has a configuration in which the display can be folded and stored, and an operation switch is provided in the storage portion so that the operation switch is operably exposed only when the display is opened. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-
No. 9663 discloses that a display slidably provided covers a front surface of a mounting portion of an information storage medium such as a disk or a tape, and that a touch panel incorporated in the display is a multipurpose operation switch. A technique for reducing the number of operation switches is disclosed.

[0007] According to each of these techniques, the operation switch of each accessory can be clearly distinguished from other operation switches in terms of function, and when not in use, it is stored in a panel or the like to cover it. Therefore, the number of apparent operation switches on the instrument panel or the like can be reduced. However, even if the arrangement structure of the operation switches is devised as described above, the number (type) of the operation switches does not necessarily decrease. Therefore, at the time of the operation, it is necessary to confirm the function of each operation switch. It is undeniable that confusion arises.

In addition, as described above, when the display is incorporated in the front of the central portion of the instrument panel, a large area is occupied by the display. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange the operation switches in a limited area of the remaining peripheral portion. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the operability of the operation switch is improved. Furthermore, when a touch panel is incorporated on a display, it is necessary to operate a switch while checking the displayed content, so that each time the driver needs to move his / her line of sight greatly from the front in the vehicle traveling direction.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display operation device for a vehicle capable of improving operability of various operation switches and sufficiently increasing visibility of a display. To provide.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a display operation device for a vehicle according to the present invention basically comprises a display and an operation switch for controlling the display content of the display. The display is provided at a position that is easily visible from the driver, and the operation switch is provided at a position that can be operated only during the operation within a range of operation reach that the driver does not lose the driving posture, A switch support that is movably provided to support a specific operation switch group is driven by a drive mechanism responsive to operation of an operation switch provided separately from the operation switch group, and the operation of the operation switch group is performed. To be selectively positioned at an operable state position in front of the instrument panel of the vehicle, while the operation switch or The display, the display of which is controlled by the operation of the operation switch group, can be moved up and down to the back of the instrument panel using a slide mechanism so that the amount of projection of the display screen from the upper surface of the instrument panel can be varied. And the display effective area of the display screen is changed by moving the display up and down according to the display content.

In other words, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the display and the operation switch are separated from each other, and the operation switch is provided only at the time of use of the operation switch on the front side of the instrument panel, which is in a range of a steady operation reach of the driver. The display is provided so that it can be selectively positioned, and the display is located at the back of the instrument panel where the driver's line of sight moves little, and the display effective area of the display screen, that is, the exposure amount of the display screen, according to the display content It is characterized by being provided to be variable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the specific operation switch group supported by the switch support controls the content displayed by the display, the operation switch group is operated by operating the operation switch. The slide mechanism is driven so as to set the display effective area of the display screen of the display to the maximum, in conjunction with positioning of the display in the operable state position.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the display is positioned between a half screen position in which only the upper half of the display screen protrudes from the upper surface of the instrument panel and a full screen position in which the entire display screen protrudes. It is characterized by being made to slide. In other words, by setting the display to a full screen state, a large amount of information can be displayed in detail, and when the display content (information) is small, a half screen state is set so that unnecessary information presentation is not performed. It is characterized in that complexity on the display screen is eliminated.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A display operation device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an instrument panel unit incorporating a display operation device of a vehicle according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part thereof. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an instrument panel disposed at the front of the vehicle compartment, and reference numeral 2 denotes a center console extending from a front surface of a central portion of the instrument panel 1 toward a foot of a driver's seat. .

The instrument panel 1 is basically extended from the lower part of the front window to the interior of the vehicle to form a top part 1a constituting an upper surface part of the panel 1, and a lower part from the near side of the top part 1a. And a front portion 1b which is bent toward the side to form a front portion of the panel 1.
A combination meter 3 is incorporated in a position on the right side of the instrument panel 1, which is a position in front of the driver's seat, behind a steering handle (not shown).

In the center of the top portion 1a of the instrument panel 1, a display 4 made of, for example, a color liquid crystal element is supported by a slide mechanism to be described later and is provided so as to be vertically movable. The display 4 moves up and down along the display surface by the operation of the slide mechanism,
The display screen is projected on the upper surface of the top portion 1a to be used for information display. The display 4 has a full screen state in which the entire display screen is projected on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 to display information, and only the upper half of the display screen is projected on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1.
In other words, in a state where the lower half of the display screen is housed inside the instrument panel 1, the setting is selectively set to a half screen state in which information is displayed only on the exposed display screen portion protruding from the upper surface of the panel 1. Is done.

An operation switch 5a of an air conditioner, an operation unit 5b of an audio device, and the like are provided on the front part of the instrument panel 1 from the center of the front part 1b to the center console 2 for each functional purpose. They are arranged together. In front of the central portion of the top portion 1a of the instrument panel 1, a retractable switch support 6 having its front portion as a pivot point is provided. The switch support 6 mainly supports operation switches for controlling the display of information on the display 4, so-called multi-function multi-switches 6a, and the like. The switch support 6 is always tilted so as to be on the same plane as the top section 1a of the instrument panel 1, and is pop-up driven by operating the operation switch 7 to stand on the top section 1a. By the pop-up (standing) of the switch support 6, the multi-switch 6a supported by the switch support 6 is selectively moved to the operable position such that the multi-switch 6a is substantially flush with the operation switch 5a and the operation section 5b. It is positioned in. The operation switch 7 includes, for example, operation switches 5 for driving assistance.
c and are arranged on the front portion 1b of the instrument panel 1.

The pop-up structure of the switch support 6 and the slide structure of the display 4 will be described. The display 4 and the switch support 6 are respectively provided on the instrument panel 1 as schematically shown in FIGS. It is provided movably. That is, the display 4 is supported by the slide mechanism 11 and the motor 12
The display screen is provided so as to be movable up and down by receiving the driving force, and its display screen is projected from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 to display information. By the operation of the slide mechanism 11, the amount of projection of the display screen of the display 4 from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 is variably set. More specifically, a slide mechanism 11 that supports the display 4 so as to be vertically movable.
Is mounted via a bracket 13 to a cross member 8 provided on the back side of the instrument panel 1 and connecting left and right frame members (for example, front pillars and lowers) of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the slide mechanism 11 is provided at both ends of a base 14 fixed to the bracket 8 via a bracket 13, as shown in FIG. , A pair of left and right rails 15 are provided in parallel, and the display 4 is disposed between upper ends of a slide guide 16 provided to be vertically movable along these rails 15.
I support. Thus, the slide guide 16 (display 4) is connected to a gear mechanism 17 that is driven to rotate by the motor 12 via a link mechanism 18,
It is configured to be slid vertically by the operation of a link mechanism 18 accompanying the rotation of the motor 12.

The display 4 has a link mechanism 18
At the highest position, all of the display screen is projected from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and the entire display screen is set to a full screen state that can be used for presenting information. In the lowermost position of the link mechanism 18, the display 4 projects only the upper half of the display screen from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, and only the upper half of the display screen It is set to a half screen state used for information presentation.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the switch support 6 is rotatably attached to the central portion of the instrument panel 1 with the lower portion on the near side of the housing as a pivot point. The switch support 6 is connected to a link mechanism 23 (drive mechanism) driven by a motor 22 provided on the back surface of the instrument panel 1 via a bracket 21. It is tilted up with respect to the upper surface. That is, when the link mechanism 23 is at the lowermost position, the switch support 6 is tilted so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and when the link mechanism 23 is moved to the uppermost position by the motor 22, Accordingly, the instrument panel 1 is tilted up and protrudes from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and the panel surface is set so as to be substantially flush with the front side surface of the instrument panel 1.

The motor 12 of the slide mechanism 11 and the motor 22 of the drive mechanism are driven forward and reverse by a motor control circuit 25 which operates in response to the operation of the operation switch 7 and the like. Incidentally, the motor control circuit 25
For example, it comprises a logic circuit composed of a relay, a semiconductor switch, and the like. Basically, the operation of the operation switch 7 is detected, the motors 12 and 22 are driven forward, and the slide mechanism 11 is driven to drive the display 4. Is set to the full screen state, and the switches (multi-switch 6a, etc.) incorporated in the switch support 6 can be operated without changing the driving posture by tilting the switch support 6 up. In the operable state position within the appropriate operation reach range.

The motor control circuit 25 changes the display mode of the display 4 based on information on display control by operating switches incorporated in the switch support 6 and control information given from other switches. Then, the slide mechanism 11 is driven in accordance with the displayed content to selectively set the display 4 to a full screen or a half screen.

In this embodiment, the vehicle accessory for displaying information using the display 4 described above includes:
For example, as shown in a schematic block configuration in FIG. 5, the navigation unit 31 is mainly configured.
Briefly describing this vehicle accessory, the navigation unit 31 includes a global positioning signal from a satellite received via a GPS antenna 32, geomagnetic azimuth information detected by a geomagnetic sensor 33, and A sensor processing unit 35 is provided for processing the angular velocity information of the vehicle detected by the mounted angular velocity sensor 34 to obtain the current position and the vehicle direction of the vehicle. The arithmetic processing unit 36 performs processing necessary for location, route search, route guidance, and the like according to the sensor information and map information described later. The map display guidance audio unit 37 uses the display 4. It controls the display of map information and the output of guidance voice messages. The map information and the like necessary for the above-mentioned route search and display are obtained from a CD (compact disk) which is an information recording medium set in the CD drive 38, and the above-mentioned map display guidance audio unit is provided via a CD decoder unit 39. 37, and is used for the above-described route search, guidance voice output, and the like.

The navigation unit 31 operates by receiving power from the accessory power supply unit 40.
The display 4 incorporated in the monitor unit 41 displays map information and the like. An electronic circuit unit (ECU) 42 for controlling an air conditioner, an audio unit (sound device) 43, a television tuner 44, and the like are provided around the navigation unit 31, and information about these devices is provided. Are selectively displayed using the display 4 incorporated in the monitor unit 41. Reference numeral 45 in the figure denotes an ECU for controlling the engine.
The driving status detected by the navigation unit 41 is also appropriately displayed on the display 4 via the navigation unit 41.

The display of information on the display 4 is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. In other words, the display of the navigation information including the map information is performed, for example, as shown in FIG.
This is performed using Note that, in FIG.
Indicates the own vehicle position and own vehicle direction, a thin line L indicates a road, a thick line G indicates a guidance route set along the road, and a bar mark B indicates a road condition such as traffic congestion. As described above, since the amount of display information is generally large for displaying the navigation information, the display 4 is set to the full screen state, and the information display is performed by making the most of the display screen.

On the other hand, the stationary information display by the display 4 is performed by, for example, displaying the weather forecast information W together with the date D and the current time T in the half screen state as shown in FIG. 6B. (Daily information display).
When the audio unit 43 is activated,
For example, as shown in FIG. 6C, it is obtained as character information together with the channel switching information C on the half screen.
The so-called visible radio information R is displayed (visible radio information display). Further, when the air conditioner is operated, FIG.
(d) As shown in FIG.
M and the air-conditioning status AC are displayed (air-conditioning operation information display). In other cases, for example, as shown in FIG.
Based on the information obtained from the CU 45, the possible travel distance PD estimated from the remaining fuel amount and the like is displayed (vehicle information display).

As described above, the display of various kinds of information on the display 4 is performed by selectively setting the display 4 to a full screen state or a half screen state in accordance with the display contents, and only necessary information at that time is displayed. It is set to be slightly larger and displayed characteristically. The screen setting of the display 4 is performed by the slide mechanism 11 as described above.
Is performed by moving the display 4 up and down due to the driving of.

According to the display operating device of the present embodiment configured as described above, the display unit (display 4)
And its operation system (operation switch) are separated. The display 4 is provided at the back of the instrument panel 1 so as to be vertically movable, and the amount of projection of the display screen from the upper surface of the panel 1 can be variably set. In this case, a full screen or a half screen is set according to display contents. Therefore,
The display is the instrument panel 1 as before.
The driver who gazes ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction of the vehicle visually recognizes the display 4 without accompanying a large movement of the line of sight as compared with the case where the display 4 is provided on the near side of the center (the front part 1b). Can be confirmed. That is, since the display 4 is provided in front of the driver and on the upper surface at the back of the instrument panel 1, the display movement of the display 4 is substantially the same as when the display content of the combination meter is visually recognized. It becomes possible to capture the contents.

Since the display screen itself of the display 4 is controlled to a full screen or a half screen according to the display contents, only necessary information can be displayed in an easily viewable manner. In other words, when a relatively large amount of information such as map information is included and it is more convenient to display the information using a wide display area and to grasp the contents, the display 4 is set to a full screen state, Since the information is displayed using the entire display screen, the visibility can be improved.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6B to 6E, when the display information amount is small, such as simply displaying simple message information, the display 4 is set to the half screen state. As a result, information can be appropriately displayed within the restricted screen area. By the way, when information is displayed using only a part of the display 4 in the full screen state, if a lot of screen parts not used for the display are left, the appeal of the displayed information is impaired and compared with the entire display screen. As a result, the display size of the information is perceived to be small, so that the visibility is deteriorated. Conversely, if you try to display other information using an area that was not used for displaying message information, the display screen itself would be complicated, with mixed information, and the appeal of required information would be reduced. , The visibility is deteriorated. Therefore, as described above, by setting the half screen according to the display contents and displaying only necessary information, it is possible to increase the appeal and to improve the visibility.

Secondly, since the display 4 displays information with a certain brightness, the brightness may be troublesome when driving at night or the like. In this regard, according to the above-described embodiment, the display 4 is set to the full screen or the half screen according to the display content, so that the display 4 does not feel unnecessarily bright. In particular, in the half screen state, the size of the shining surface is suppressed to about half, and the amount of light leaking into the cabin is suppressed to about half of that in the full screen, so the driving environment during night driving is undesirably disturbed. There are advantages such as not having any.

On the other hand, the operation switches which are movably supported by the switch support 6 are always arranged along the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 by tilting the switch support 6, It is hard to see directly from the driver, and it is hard to operate. Therefore, the switches supported by the switch support 6 can be positively excluded from the group of operation switches that the driver is conscious of as an operation target, and unintended operation of those switches can be prevented. Can be prevented. Then, when the switch support 6 is tilted up under the driver's operation intention by operating the operation switch 7, the switches are operated toward the driver within the range of the driver's operation reach. Since they are positioned in a possible state, these operation switches can be easily operated. That is, by tilting up the switch support 6 when necessary, it is possible to sufficiently secure the operability of the operation switches provided on the switch support 6.

In this way, by using the switch support 6 selectively positioned at the operable state, the infrequently used switches, such as operation switches for navigation, are always provided on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1. If stored, a large number of switches can be effectively classified and arranged on the instrument panel 1, and only the switches that are frequently used can be constantly installed in the operable state. Becomes As a result,
Combined with the layout arrangement of the entire switches, it is possible to increase the size of each switch, thereby also improving the operability. Moreover, it is possible to clarify the difference between the operation switches provided on the switch support 6 and the operation switches provided on the instrument panel 1 and to prevent the interference between them, thereby effectively preventing erroneous operation. The effect can also be achieved.

In particular, as described above, the display 4 and the operation switches used for its display control are separated and provided at the back and the front side of the instrument panel 1, respectively. However, the control operation on the display screen (display contents) can be easily performed within the range of the operation reach of the driver, and the operability can be sufficiently improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the display 4 may be configured to be completely housed inside the instrument panel 1 when not in use. Further, the display screen area of the display 4 may be variably set in more steps according to the display contents. Of course, it is also possible to arrange such that the switches provided on the switch support 6 are stored inside the instrument panel 1 when they are not used, so that many switches are hidden.

Further, the configuration of the slide mechanism 11 and the configuration of the movable mechanism of the switch support 6 are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment, and the display 4 and the switch support 6 can be respectively moved using a rack and a pinion. You may do it. Further, it is of course possible to mechanically control the movement of the display 4 or the like using a spring force or an air force without using a motor. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention, a display and a specific operation switch group for controlling the display contents of the display are basically separated from each other as described in the first aspect. A switch support that is movably provided to support the specific operation switch group is selectively positioned at an operable state position in front of an instrument panel of a vehicle that enables operation of the operation switch group. The switch support is driven by a drive mechanism responsive to the operation of an operation switch provided separately from the operation switch group, and the display content is controlled by the operation of the operation switch or the operation switch group. The display to be displayed is mounted on the instrument panel using a slide mechanism so that the amount of projection of the display screen from the upper surface of the instrument panel can be changed. Vertically movable is provided in the back portion of the instrument panel, so that varying the effective display area of the display screen by vertically moving the display in accordance with the display contents.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the visibility by providing the above-mentioned display at a position behind the instrument panel where the driver can easily see it. In addition, the display provided in the back of the instrument panel, which requires less movement of the driver's line of sight, changes the effective display area of the display screen, that is, the amount of exposure of the display screen, according to the display content, which is unnecessary. Information display on a large display screen can be prevented, and the complexity of the display can be reduced. In addition, the operation switches involved in the display control of the display are selectively positioned at a position where the driver can operate only in the operation reach range where the driver does not lose his driving posture. It can be excluded from operation objects when not in use (usually) while ensuring sufficient performance, so that unintended operation can be prevented and layout of various operation switches can be arranged. The effect can be achieved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the specific operation switch group supported by the switch support controls the content displayed on the display, the operation by operating the operation switch is performed. Since the slide mechanism is driven to set the effective display area of the display screen of the display to the maximum in conjunction with the position of the switch group to the operable state position, the operable state of the switch support is set. The effective display area of the display can be efficiently controlled in conjunction with the positioning to the position.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a half screen position in which only the upper half of the display screen projects from the upper surface of the instrument panel,
Because the display screen is slid between the full screen position to protrude the entire display screen, by setting the display to the full screen state, for example, a lot of information such as a navigation image can be displayed in detail, When the display content (information) is small such as message information, the screen is set to the half screen state, so that only the really necessary presentation information is efficiently displayed on a limited display screen, and the display screen is complicated. The effects such as being able to eliminate the effect can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an instrument panel unit incorporating a display operation device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a main part of the instrument panel shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a pop-up structure of a switch support and a slide structure of a display according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front configuration diagram showing a slide structure of the display according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block configuration diagram of a vehicle accessory that is incorporated as the embodiment device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a display in which a display effective area is controlled and display contents thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instrument panel 2 Center console 3 Combination meter 4 Display 6 Switch support 6a Multi switch (operation switches) 7 Operation switch 11 Slide mechanism 12 Motor 18 Link mechanism 22 Motor 23 Link mechanism 25 Motor control circuit

Claims (3)

[Claims] A switch support for movably supporting a specific group of operation switches and selectively positioning these operation switches in an operable state at a front portion of an instrument panel of a vehicle; A drive mechanism that moves the switch support in response to the operation of an operation switch provided separately from the operation switch group to position the operation switch group in the operable state position; A display that is movably provided and the amount of projection of the display screen from the upper surface of the instrument panel is variable; and that the display is moved up and down according to display contents set by operating the operation switch or operation switch group. A slide mechanism for moving the display effective area of the display screen by moving the display mechanism. The display operation device of the vehicle to be used. 2. An operation switch group supported by the switch supporter controls display contents on the display, and the slide mechanism is interlocked with positioning of the operation switch group to an operable state position. The display operation device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display effective area of the display screen of the display is set to a maximum. 3. The display is slid between a half screen position where only the upper half of the display screen protrudes from the upper surface of the instrument panel and a full screen position where all of the display screen protrudes. The display operation device for a vehicle according to claim 1.