KR101096125B1 - Multi functional information device using by vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a vehicular information device that can conveniently provide various multimedia contents as well as audio functions to a driver in a vehicle.

The disclosed vehicle information apparatus includes: a monitor configured to transmit a connection command to a control unit (MCU) when the power icon generated on the screen is in contact, and directly connect with a computer main board to interface an operation command; A control unit connected to the monitor and configured to drive a cooling fan and perform an internal control operation according to an operation request signal generated from the computer main board; And a computer main board which provides an operation request signal to the controller according to a temperature sensing result and controls driving of an audio / video device in response to an operation command generated through the monitor.

Car Computer, Information Device, Touch Screen, Computer Main Board

Description

Multi functional information device using by vehicle}

The present invention relates to a vehicle information apparatus, and more particularly, to a vehicle information apparatus that can conveniently provide various multimedia contents as well as audio functions to a driver.

Typically, cars are equipped with car audio for listening to radio and music. The car driver can receive information from the over-the-air radio through car audio, and listen to music on music CDs or cassette tapes, freeing them from driving.

In addition, with the development of high-definition and small size liquid crystal display devices, vehicle television devices equipped with a television tuner for receiving and outputting an airwave broadcasting signal have been developed and provided to a user.

On the other hand, there is a vehicle navigation system for providing the convenience of the driver when driving the vehicle. The vehicle navigation system receives a destination from a user and guides a way to the corresponding destination. Most navigation systems receive GPS signals from GPS satellites to calculate the location information of the vehicle being driven, calculate the shortest distance to the destination, and display or voice guidance on the map.

In addition, with the development of audio and video compression technology such as MP3, MPEG4, portable multimedia devices are being developed and are enjoying a lot of popularity.

However, in order for a driver to use such a navigation system or multimedia data, the driver must separately purchase devices required by the driver, and in order to attach each purchased device to a vehicle or to interoperate with car audio, a separate connection device or a fixing means is required. There is an inconvenience to use.

This can reduce the concentration of the driver while driving each of the various devices installed around the driver's seat, each device is fixed inside the vehicle through a dedicated mounting device, there is a disadvantage that the aesthetics inside the vehicle is also not good.

In order to prevent this, a vehicle multimedia device called Car-PC has been developed. The Car-PC provides various multimedia data by reproducing.

However, such a conventional multimedia device for a vehicle is capable of playing various multimedia data, but the key input is complicated, resulting in the inconvenience of operation for the driver to select various functions while driving. It was also raised as a problem that caused a safety accident.

On the other hand, the information device (for example, computer) installed in the vehicle must go through a process called booting for normal operation, and the booting process must go through at least tens of seconds to several minutes depending on the operating system or its configuration. . The tens of seconds to minutes for computer booting in a home or office is not a big deal, but tens of seconds and minutes in a vehicle can be quite long. Therefore, the vehicle computer uses the standby mode. In this case, the standby mode stores the current working state to shut down the system in the main memory (RAM) area of the computer and shuts down the system. When the system is turned on, it wakes up from the mode with the information stored in the main memory without going through the booting process. It is a function to return to the state of. In standby mode, the memory should maintain the minimum power to maintain the data so that the data stored in the main memory is not damaged. However, this minimal standby power is very difficult to maintain for a long time with a battery installed in a vehicle. In some cases, you may be unable to start your vehicle due to battery discharge. Therefore, even if a long time standby mode is required to prevent the discharge of the battery device, the conventional vehicle does not implement such a device for the discharge of the battery sometimes can not start the vehicle due to full discharge of the battery The case occurred.

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve the disadvantages and various problems that occur in the information device mounted on the conventional vehicle as described above,

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle information device that can conveniently provide various multimedia contents as well as audio functions to the driver.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention, by detecting whether the vehicle is started or the voltage of the battery power in the power supply unit is operated without starting the power or the battery power level is lowered below a certain state to generate an audio and visual warning every set time In addition, the present invention provides a vehicle information device that allows a driver to accurately recognize a starting state.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle information apparatus that detects a temperature in a temperature sensor and provides an operation request signal according to temperature to a controller (MCU) according to the result.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an information device for a vehicle that automatically detects the operation of a cooling fan when a drive signal of the cooling fan is generated, and sends an alarm when an abnormality occurs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle information apparatus that transmits a command to a control unit by an LCD controller inside a touch screen so that the computer main board and the touch screen can be directly connected and used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an indicator on the lower end of the touch screen, in conjunction with the vehicle navigation to display a variety of information, such as rotation direction and warning lights, and can also display warnings that can occur in the system operation, LED movement It is to provide a vehicle information device to create a visual effect according to.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle warning device to help the driver economical by embedding the acceleration sensor and analyzing the driver's driving pattern.

The "vehicle information device" according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems,

A monitor which transmits a connection command to the control unit (MCU) and directly connects with the computer main board when the power icon generated on the screen is in contact;

A control unit connected to the monitor and performing an internal control operation according to the detected temperature and power;

And a computer main board for controlling driving of the audio / video device in response to an operation signal generated through the monitor.

In addition, the "vehicle information device" according to the present invention,

A cooling unit which drives the cooling fan according to the cooling fan driving signal generated by the control unit;

And a cooling fan state detection unit detecting a driving state of the cooling fan and providing the cooling fan state signal to the controller.

In addition, the "vehicle information device" according to the present invention,

It further comprises an alarm unit for transmitting an alarm sound,

The control unit,

If it is determined that the abnormal analysis of the cooling fan status signal, the alarm to prevent damage to the vehicle information device due to overheating characterized in that to alert the cooling fan failure.

In addition, the monitor,

A touch screen on which a user contacts for function input or function selection, and displays an operation state and a warning state of the generated data or the vehicle information device;

When a touch occurs in connection with the touch screen, an operation command signal is generated and provided to the controller or the computer main board, data generated from the controller or the computer main board is displayed on the touch screen, and directly connected to the computer main board. It includes an LCD controller that performs a data interface.

In addition, the monitor,

In conjunction with the car navigation system, the LED-type LEDs can be used to display rotational directions and warnings along the route, to display warnings that may occur during system operation, and to create visual effects according to the LED movement. It includes more.

In addition, the "vehicle information device" according to the present invention,

When the vehicle does not run for a long time further comprises a power supply to cut off the power supplied to the control unit to prevent the discharge of the battery when using the standby mode,

The power supply unit,

A battery power detector for detecting battery power mounted in a vehicle;

An accessory power detector for detecting accessory power of the vehicle;

After detecting the accessory power level, it detects the power level and determines whether it is started, and provides the result of the determination to the controller.If the accessory power is not detected, the power supply is automatically cut off after a set time to prevent the battery from being discharged for a long time. And a power supply unit providing the controller with the battery power detection result so that the driver can recognize the abnormality of the vehicle battery in advance.

In addition, the "vehicle information device" according to the present invention,

A temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the vehicle information device, and providing the temperature detection information to the control unit,

The controller may analyze the temperature sensing information before driving the vehicle information device to drive the vehicle information device when the temperature is lower than the appropriate temperature, and to suppress driving of the vehicle information device when the temperature is higher than the appropriate temperature.

In addition, the "vehicle information device" according to the present invention,

Further comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting the movement state of the vehicle,

The controller may store the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor in an internal memory as information for analyzing a driver's driving pattern.

According to the present invention, by detecting the accessory power level mounted on the vehicle to determine whether the start, and if the battery power level is below a certain level in the state that does not start, it can automatically induce the driver to start the vehicle, the start of the vehicle There is an advantage in that the battery can be prevented from being fully discharged due to the use of the computer without turning on.

In addition, according to the present invention, by performing a temperature sensing in the temperature sensor, by providing an operation request signal according to the temperature to the control unit (MCU) according to the result of the temperature control to control the operation of the control unit, there is an advantage of improving the safety of the system have.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically detect whether the cooling fan is operating when a drive signal of the cooling fan is generated, and to send an alarm when an abnormality occurs, thereby preventing overheating due to a failure of the cooling fan and damaging the vehicle information device. There is an advantage.

In addition, according to the present invention, by transmitting a command to the control unit by the LCD controller inside the touch screen to be directly connected to the computer main board and the touch screen, there is an advantage that the configuration of the control unit can be simplified.

In addition, according to the present invention, an indicator is provided at the lower end of the touch screen, and the LED is driven in conjunction with the vehicle navigation to display a rotation direction and a warning along a path, and a warning that may occur in system operation. It also displays, and also creates a visual effect of the LED movement, it has the advantage of providing convenience to the user.

Hereinafter, described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle information apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the control means 100 and the monitor 200 are roughly classified, and the control means 100 is a power supply unit. 110, a computer main board 130, a control unit (MCU) 140, an alarm unit 150, a cooling unit 170, a cooling fan state detection unit 180, and an A / V device driving unit 190, The monitor 200 includes a touch screen 210, an LCD controller 220, and a direction indicator 230.

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle information apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the control means 300 and the monitor 200 are roughly classified, and the control means 300 is a power supply unit. 320, the computer main board 330, the control unit (MCU) 310, the alarm unit 340, the cooling unit 360, the cooling fan state detection unit 370, the A / V device driver 380, the temperature sensor ( 391, an acceleration sensor 392 is included, and the monitor 200 includes a touch screen 210, an LCD controller 220, and a direction indicator 230.

Differences between FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are substantially the same, and an accessory power detector 322 is added to the power supply 320 of the control unit 300 to perform a warning according to the battery power level. The drawings are separated for ease of understanding, and additionally, a temperature sensor 391 and an acceleration sensor 392 are added to improve the function as compared with FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the overall configuration and operation will be described by combining FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the drawing, reference numeral 400 denotes a vehicle battery, and 500 denotes a navigation system mounted on the vehicle. The navigation 500 is connected to the computer main board 130 through communication.

The monitor 200 generates a separate power icon (ICON) on the screen, and upon contact of the power icon generated on the screen, transmits a connection command to the control unit (MCU) 140, 310, computer main Performs a function of directly connecting with the board 130.

The monitor 200 is connected to the touch screen 210 and the touch screen 210 that the user touches to input a function or select a function, and displays the generated data or an operation state and a warning state of the vehicle information device. When a contact occurs, an operation command signal is generated and provided to the controller 140, 310, or the computer main board 130, 340, and generated from the controller 140, 310, or the computer main board 130, 340. An LCD controller 220 displaying data on the touch screen 210 and directly connecting the computer main boards 130 and 340 to perform a data interface; Drives an LED light emitting diode (LED) according to a control signal output from the computer main board (130) (310), displays a rotation direction and a warning along a path, and also displays a warning that may occur in system operation. It includes an indicator 230 that also creates a visual effect of the LED movement.

The temperature sensor 391 detects the temperature of the vehicle information device and provides the temperature sensing information to the controller 140 or 310.

The controller 140 or 310 analyzes the temperature sensing information before driving the vehicle information device to drive the vehicle information device when the temperature is lower than the appropriate temperature, and suppresses the driving of the vehicle information device when the temperature is higher than the appropriate temperature. It performs the function.

The control unit (140) (310), by analyzing the cooling fan state signal, if it is determined that the abnormality to drive the alarm unit 150, 340 in order to prevent damage to the vehicle information device due to overheating function to alert the cooling fan failure And a function of generating a warning signal for inducing a driver to start the vehicle when the detected level of the battery power is lower than a predetermined level in a state in which no starting is performed as a result of analyzing the signals of the power supply units 110 and 320. Include.

The control unit 140 or 310 for performing the above functions includes a command processing unit 142 and 312 for processing an operation command provided from the monitor 200 or the computer main board 130, and computer power control. Computer power control unit (144) (314) for generating a signal, an alarm generator (141) (311) for generating an alarm signal according to the cooling fan detection signal, the battery power detection signal and the temperature detection signal, and driving the cooler It is preferable to include a cooler drive unit (143) (313).

The computer main boards 130 and 340 perform a function of controlling the driving of the audio / video device in response to an operation signal generated through the monitor 200. The computer motherboard (130, 140) includes a memory that is a digital storage device for storing data.

The cooling unit 170 and 360 perform a function of driving the cooling fan according to the cooling fan driving signal generated by the control unit 140, 310, and the cooling fan state detectors 180 and 370 are the cooling fan. Detects a driving state of the control unit and provides a cooling fan state signal to the controllers 140 and 310.

The alarm unit 150 and 340 perform a function of transmitting an alarm sound in response to an alarm sound generation control signal, and the power supply unit 110 and 320 perform a function of sensing a battery and accessory power mounted in a vehicle. .

The power supply unit 110 and 340 control the power supplied to the control unit 140 and 310. The power supply unit 110 and 340 completely cuts off the power supplied to the control unit 140 and 310 when the vehicle is not operated for a long time to completely block the consumption of the battery 400 due to the use of the standby mode of the battery. The discharge of the 400 is prevented in advance.

In addition, the power supply unit 110 and 340 detects the accessory power to determine whether to start or not, and if the battery voltage is lowered to a predetermined voltage or less in the state of not starting, by providing power information to the control unit 140, 310 The controller 310 may notify the driver of this.

When the power of the control unit 140, 310 is cut off, power to the A / V device power or the computer main board 130 is also cut off at the same time. The operation of the controllers 140 and 310 is determined by the detected temperature or power, and when the accessory power is not detected and the power of the battery falls below a predetermined voltage, the power is automatically cut off after a preset time, and the controller ( The operation of 140 and 310 is also terminated. When the accessory power is detected again within the set time and the battery power is above a certain level, the power supply is continued.

The A / V device drivers 190 and 380 control the driving of the A / V device provided in the vehicle according to the audio / video drive signal generated by the computer main boards 130 and 340.

In the vehicle information apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, when power is supplied by the battery 400, the battery information detectors 111 and 321 in the power supply unit 110 and 320 detect the control unit. (140) and (310).

In addition, when the user (driver) inserts the key into the key holder and places the key in the on state or starts the power, the accessory power detector 322 in the power supply unit 110 and 320 detects it. Information determining whether the startup is provided is provided to the controller 140 or 310.

Here, the power supply unit 110 and 320 is a power supply to the vehicle information device to prevent the complete discharge of the battery 400 when the battery power level is lower than the predetermined reference value in the state that the vehicle is not started By completely blocking the power to minimize the power consumed in the vehicle information device, even when parked for a long time to minimize the risk of battery discharge.

In addition, the power supply unit 110, 320 continuously monitors the state of the battery, and provides the monitoring results to the control unit 140, 310, through the monitor 200 by the control unit 140, 310 By informing the driver of this, the driver can recognize the abnormality of the vehicle battery.

Meanwhile, the temperature sensor 391 continuously detects the ambient temperature of the vehicular information device using a temperature sensor, and provides the temperature sensing information to the controllers 140 and 310, and the controllers 140 and 310 are Before driving the vehicular information device, it is determined whether to drive the vehicular information device according to the temperature sensing information. For example, when the sensed temperature does not belong to a temperature range set in advance for the operation of the vehicle information apparatus, the operation of the vehicle information apparatus is basically stopped, thereby protecting each component of the vehicle information apparatus from thermal shock. This makes it possible to extend the life of each component of the vehicular information device.

The controllers 140 and 310 analyze power detection information provided from the power supplies 112 and 323 in the power supply units 110 and 320 to determine whether the vehicle is in a startup state or a battery power level.

That is, the controllers 140 and 310 primarily drive the vehicle information apparatus when the accessory power is detected, detect the power level of the battery, and lower the voltage of the battery below a predetermined reference voltage. The alarm signal is generated through the 311, and the alarm signal generated in this way is provided to the LCD controller 220 of the monitor 200, so that a warning for inducing a user to start is generated at a predetermined cycle. Here, the method of generating a warning may vary the brightness of the entire screen of the touch screen 210, or generate an icon indicating a battery on the touch screen 210 and blink the icon at regular intervals, or in another way, an alarm sound. It can generate a warning by sending a sound by driving a separate hearing alarm.

Therefore, when such warning occurs, the user may notice that the current voltage of the battery is low and there is a danger of complete discharge. Awareness is made and the vehicle is turned on.

Meanwhile, the controllers 140 and 310 control the driving of the vehicle information apparatus based on the temperature sensing result as described above, and generate a cooling fan driving signal through the cooler driving units 143 and 313 when it is determined that the temperature is high. Done.

The cooling unit 170 and 360 drive the internal cooling fan based on the generated cooling fan driving signal. When the cooling fan driving signal is generated, the cooling fan state detection unit 180 or 370 outputs the output signal of the cooling fan. Is detected and provided to the control unit 140 or 310 as a cooling fan operation signal. Here, the cooling fan state detectors 180 and 370 detect driving signals of the cooling fan in the form of pulses. When the cooling fan is not operated, a low signal is detected, and when the cooling fan is operated, a high signal is detected.

The control unit 140 or 310 searches for a cooling fan operation signal in a state in which a cooling fan driving signal is generated, and maintains a current state when a signal for operating the cooling fan is detected. It is determined that the cooling fan has failed, and turns off the cooling fan driving signal, and generates an alarm signal to drive the alarm unit 150 and 340 to recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling fan. When an alarm signal occurs, the user can determine that the cooling fan has failed and take appropriate action promptly.

In the above method, when the motor is driven through a cooling fan driving signal in a state in which the cooling fan is broken, the motor is often damaged due to heat generation or overload, and in severe cases, a fire due to heat generation also occurs. Therefore, in order to prevent such motor damage or fire in advance, it is detected whether the cooling fan is operating as described above.

Next, another feature of the present invention is to directly drive the A / V device drivers 190 and 380 from the computer main boards 130 and 330. In general, the other vehicle information apparatus directly drives the A / V device in the control unit, and thus, the configuration of the control unit is complicated and there is a disadvantage in that an expensive control unit is used. However, since the computer main boards 130 and 330 have a basic configuration capable of driving a vehicle A / V device, the present invention easily drives the A / V device using this basic configuration.

In more detail, when a user touches a power icon (this is just one example, it can be replaced with another icon) generated on the touch screen 210 of the monitor 200 separately. The LCD controller 220 recognizes this and transmits an operation command to the controllers 140 and 310. According to the operation command, the controllers 140 and 310 release the connection with the touch screen 210, and from this time, the touch screen 210 and the computer main board 130 and 330 are directly connected.

That is, the touch screen up to now merely performed the function of transmitting only the input signal operated by the user to the controller, but the touch screen according to the present invention releases the connection to the controller by making a signal manipulated by the user in the LCD controller as a command. And direct connection with the computer mainboard. Since this does not go through the control unit when the operation command, there is an effect that provides a very convenient to the user when controlling other devices connected to the vehicle information device.

In addition, the present invention additionally, in conjunction with the navigation 500 has the advantage that the monitor 200 can tell the direction of rotation when the route guidance. That is, when the navigation 500 and the computer main board 130 and 330 are connected to each other, the computer main board 130 (in the case of performing the guidance about the rotation direction (left turn, right turn) during the route guidance) is performed. In operation 330, the rotation direction signal is received and provided to the monitor 200.

When the LCD controller 220 of the monitor 200 receives the rotation direction signal as described above, the LCD controller 220 drives the indicator 230 installed at the lower end of the monitor 200 to guide the rotation direction to the user. At this time, the direction indicator 230 drives in a wave shape using an indicator LED to guide the direction of rotation, thereby efficiently guiding the direction of rotation and highlighting the convenience device of the vehicle information device. It is also possible to improve the function.

In addition, the LCD controller 220 of the monitor 200 operates an individual light emitting diode (LED) in conjunction with a vehicle navigation system to provide a user with convenience by performing a warning display that may occur in system operation. It has the advantage of creating a visual effect according to the movement of the LED.

On the other hand, as another feature of the present invention, the acceleration sensor 392 is used. That is, the acceleration sensor 392 detects the acceleration of the vehicle and provides it to the controllers 140 and 310, and the controllers 140 and 310 store the acceleration of the vehicle through a computer main board. The stored acceleration data can be used as a criterion for determining the cause of a vehicle accident in a vehicle accident, and thus can be used as a black box function. In addition, since the acceleration state of the vehicle can determine the movement state of the vehicle, it is possible to analyze the driving pattern of the driver, and by providing the analyzed driving pattern to the driver through the monitor 200, to help economic driving It will be possible.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described specific preferred embodiments, and various modifications can be made by any person having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. Of course, such changes will fall within the scope of the claims.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle information apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle information apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100, 300... Control means

120... Battery power detector

130, 330... Computer main board

140, 340... Control

170... Cooling section

180... Cooling fan status detector

200... monitor

210... touch screen

220... LCD controller

     230... Direction indicator

Claims (9)

In the vehicle information device that provides information in conjunction with the device installed in the vehicle, When a power icon generated on the screen is touched, a connection command is transmitted to the control unit MCU, and when the connection with the control unit MCU is released, the connection command is directly connected to the computer main board to transmit an operation command to the computer main board. A monitor; A control unit connected to the monitor and performing an internal control operation according to the detected temperature and power; And a computer main board for controlling driving of an audio / video device in response to an operation signal generated through the monitor. The method of claim 1, A cooling unit which drives the cooling fan according to the cooling fan driving signal generated by the control unit; A cooling fan state detection unit detecting a driving state of the cooling fan and providing the cooling fan state signal to the control unit; The control unit, And analyzing the cooling fan state signal to generate an alarm signal for warning of a cooling fan failure to prevent damage to the vehicle information device due to overheating. 3. The method of claim 2, And an alarm unit configured to transmit an alarm sound according to the alarm signal generated by the control unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitor, A touch screen on which a user contacts for function input or function selection, and displays an operation state and a warning state of the generated data or the vehicle information device; When a touch occurs in connection with the touch screen, an operation command signal is generated and provided to the controller or the computer main board, data generated from the controller or the computer main board is displayed on the touch screen, and directly connected to the computer main board. Vehicle information device comprising an LCD controller for performing a data interface. The method of claim 4, wherein the monitor, In conjunction with the vehicle navigation, the LED-driven LED displays the direction of rotation along the path, performs warning indications that may occur during system operation, and provides visual indication of the rotation direction and the LED movement when the warning is displayed. Vehicle information device further comprises an indicator for creating an effect. 5. The vehicular information device of claim 4, wherein the computer mainboard is linked to a navigation system installed in the vehicle. The method of claim 1, When the vehicle does not run for a long time further comprises a power supply to cut off the power supplied to the control unit to prevent the discharge of the battery when using the standby mode, The power supply unit, A battery power detector for detecting battery power mounted in a vehicle; An accessory power detector for detecting accessory power of the vehicle; After detecting the accessory power level, it detects the power level and determines whether it is started, and provides the result of the determination to the controller.If the accessory power is not detected, the power supply is automatically cut off after a set time to prevent the battery from being discharged for a long time. And a power supply unit providing the controller with the battery power detection result so that a driver may recognize in advance whether there is a problem with the vehicle battery. The method of claim 1, And a temperature sensing unit configured to sense a temperature of a vehicle information device and provide the temperature sensing information to the controller. The controller analyzes the temperature sensing information before driving the vehicle information device to drive the vehicle information device when the temperature is lower than the appropriate temperature, and suppresses driving of the vehicle information device when the temperature is higher than the appropriate temperature. Information device. The method of claim 1, Further comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting the movement state of the vehicle, The control unit stores the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor in the internal memory as information for analyzing the driving pattern of the driver.

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