JP2008186279A - Remotely-operated input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remotely-operated input device capable of achieving shortening of the time of a button selection and determination operation. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicle is provided with a display indication type input device 2 in which a remote input device 6 can perform a selection and determination operation of an item button displayed on a display 3. The remote input device 6 is provided with group of a plurality of pins 10, and piezo elements 11, 11, ... can project the pins 10. A configuration is composed of the plurality of pins 10. When a pressure sensitive sensor 12 detects a contact operation in which an operator comes in contact with a pad operation face 8, a controller 13 generates an operation button 9 on a pad operation face 8 by projecting pins 10 within the range of the contact. When the pressure sensitive sensor 12 detects that the operation button 9 is depressed, the controller 13 recognizes that an item button 5 on the screen corresponding to the operation button 9 is determined and depressed and executes a function corresponding to the item button 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote-operated input device that performs selection and determination of various buttons displayed on a screen of a display device by moving a selected coordinate position of the screen of the display device with an input device that is located away from the display device. About.

In recent years, instead of providing mechanical operation buttons in the vehicle, this type of item button is displayed on the display, and the button display operation is detected on the screen to determine whether or not the button is operated. Type input devices are widely used. As this type of display display type input device, for example, there is a touch panel type input device that detects a touch operation on a display screen and detects the presence or absence of a button operation. An example of the touch panel type input device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and the like. A touch panel type input device detects the presence or absence of a screen touch operation by an operator using a capacitance sensor incorporated in the display, and compares the touch operation position on the screen with the screen display position of the item button to display the screen. Detect which item button above has been selected and determined.
JP 2006-268068 A

  However, in this type of touch panel type input device, when the operator decides and selects an item button, the operator touches the screen with a finger and performs an operation of sliding the finger from that state to the target item button. Is common. As described above, in the touch panel type input device, there is a case where the operator touches the screen with a finger and then slides the finger, and there is a problem that the operation cannot be determined immediately when the button selection is determined. In particular, since it is necessary to perform a button selection determination operation in a limited time such as when the vehicle is stopped, it is highly desired that the button selection determination operation can be completed in a short time.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a remote control type input device capable of shortening a button selection decision operation.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, in a remote control type input device used as an input system device when operating various devices, an operation is performed when selecting a function to be executed from various functions. An operation part touched by a person, a plurality of projecting members movable between two states of a projecting state projecting outside from the operation surface of the operation unit and a storage state buried in the operation surface, and driving of the projecting member A plurality of drive means provided as a source; a detection means capable of detecting an operation of touching the operation surface by the operator by a contact area at that time; and when the detection means detects the contact operation, the contact operation is performed. A function corresponding to the operation button when the projecting member in the contact range is in the projecting state, and a drive control unit that generates an operation button on the operation surface and the detection unit detects a pressing operation of the operation button. And summarized in that and a function execution unit to execute.

  According to this configuration, when operating various devices, the operator performs a contact operation that touches the operation unit of the remote control input device, and the detection means detects the contact location at this time. At this time, the drive control means recognizes the contact operation at that time in the contact range using the detection value of the detection means, and drives the drive means corresponding to the contact range, thereby moving the protruding member in the storage state to the protruding state. Then, an operation button is generated on the operation surface. When the operator depresses the operation button to determine the operation button, when the function execution unit detects this depressing operation from the detection value of the detection unit, the function execution unit executes various functions of the operation button depressed at that time. . For this reason, in this configuration, when a finger or the like is placed on the operation surface, an operation button is generated at the finger contact location, and the position where the finger is placed on the operation surface becomes the operation button. Therefore, when selecting and determining an item button on the screen, an operation of placing a finger on the operation surface and pressing the operation button generated at the contact position is sufficient. The operation of touching the touched screen with a finger and sliding it to the target button is unnecessary, so that the button selection can be determined in a short time.

  In the present invention, a display control unit capable of displaying item buttons corresponding to the various functions on a screen of a display device is provided, and when the drive control unit generates the operation button on the operation surface, the screen The operation button is generated as a button corresponding to the item button above, and the function execution unit executes the function of the item button corresponding to the operation button when the detection unit detects a pressing operation of the operation button. The display control means detects the generation position of the operation button on the operation surface by absolute position detection, assigns the item button to be displayed on the screen of the display device to a position corresponding to the operation button, and displays it. The gist is to do.

  According to this configuration, the item buttons displayed on the screen of the display device are allocated and displayed on the screen of the display device in an absolute position corresponding to the generation position of the operation button generated on the operation surface. For this reason, since the generation position of the operation button generated on the operation surface and the display position of the item button displayed on the display device correspond to each other, the operation button to be operated is displayed on the screen. It becomes easy to understand which item button corresponds to, and it is possible to keep the frequency of erroneous operations occurring at the time of button selection decision operation low.

  In the present invention, the detection unit is a contact operation detection unit that directly detects an operation of the operator touching the operation surface on the operation surface, and the contact operation detection unit is disposed around the protruding member. It is a summary.

  According to this configuration, since the contact operation that the operator touches the operation surface is detected directly on the contact surface, an erroneous detection occurs when performing the operation presence / absence determination as to whether or not the operator has operated the contact operation on the operation surface. It becomes difficult.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the button selection determination operation.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a remote control input device embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a display-display-type input device 2 is mounted on a vehicle 1 as an operation system device for executing various vehicle operations. The display-display-type input device 2 of this example displays a button selection determination screen 4 on the display 3, and touches a desired item button 5 in the button selection determination screen 4 on the screen to determine the button selection. Thus, the vehicle 1 can execute various on-vehicle equipments corresponding to the item buttons 5, and the button selection determination operation can be performed also by the remote input device 6 located away from the display 3.

  The display 3 is composed of a color liquid crystal screen, for example, and is arranged at the center cluster position in the vehicle. The display 3 displays a plurality of various item buttons 5 as selection / designation buttons when operating various types of on-vehicle equipment. As this type of item button 5, for example, a current position display or destination setting in a car navigation device, etc. Car navigation system buttons that are operated when performing an operation, audio system buttons that are operated when performing music selection and volume setting with an audio device, and air conditioner system buttons that are operated when performing temperature setting and wind direction setting with a vehicle air conditioner Etc.

  The remote input device 6 is disposed at the center console position in the vehicle and is connected to the display 3 through electrical wiring (not shown). The remote input device 6 is an input system device used to select and designate a selected coordinate position on the display 3. In this example, when the operator touches the pad 7 of the remote input device 6 with a finger or the like, the pad 7 is a mechanical input device that generates an operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8 that is the surface of the display 7, and selects and determines the item button 5 on the display 3 by pressing the operation button 9.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pad 7 of the remote input device 6 is provided with a plurality of pins 10 having, for example, a quadrangular prism shape embedded in the pad 7. These pins 10, 10... Are fine pin members having a diameter of about 1 mm, for example, and are attached so as to be slidable in the vertical direction of the pad operation surface 8. The pins 10, 10 are provided over the entire pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7, and are aligned at equal intervals so as to form a row when viewed from either the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the pad operation surface 8. Has been placed. These pins 10, 10... Are housed in the inner surface of the pad 7 (state shown in FIG. 3A), and protruded from the pad operating surface 8 of the pad 7 by a predetermined amount (state shown in FIG. 3B). ) Can be slid between the two states.

  A plurality of piezo elements 11 serving as a drive source when the pins 10 slide are provided for each of the pins 10, 10. Since the piezo elements 11, 11... Have a characteristic that they are expanded when a voltage is applied to them, the pins 10 are slid using this expansion characteristic. That is, when the piezoelectric element 11 is in a stretched state by applying a voltage to itself, the pin 10 is projected to function as a tactile pin, and when the voltage is not applied to itself, the piezoelectric element 11 is restored to its original length. Return and return the pin 10 to the stowed state.

  A plurality of pressure-sensitive sensors (pressure-sensitive elements) 12 that can detect that the operator is touching the pad operating surface 8 are provided on the pad operating surface 8 of the pad 7 so as to surround the pins 10, 10. It has been. Each of these pressure-sensitive sensors 12, 12... Functions as a detection unit, and outputs a detection value individually. The pressure-sensitive sensors 12, 12... In this example are elements whose element size (detection surface area) is the same size as the cross-sectional area of the pin 10, and one pin 10 is moved from four directions in the vertical and horizontal directions. It is arranged so as to surround it. The pressure sensitive sensors 12, 12... Output a detection value corresponding to the magnitude of pressure applied to the pressure sensor 12 from time to time, and the operator touches any position on the pad operation surface 8 to further press the pressure sensor. To detect.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a controller 13 that performs overall control of the display-type input device 2 is provided. The controller 13 includes various devices such as a CPU 14 and a memory 15, and operates according to a control program stored in the memory 15, thereby generating a button generation process for generating an operation button 9 on the remote input device 6 and which operation button 9 is selected. Button selection decision detection for determining whether or not a pressing operation has been performed, screen display control for displaying various screens on the display 3, and the like are performed. The controller 13 is connected to each of the piezo elements 11, 11... Via the driver circuit 16 on the remote input device 6 side, and each pressure sensitive is connected via the A / D conversion circuit 17 on the remote input device 6 side. It is connected to sensors 12, 12.

  The controller 13 detects which position on the pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7 the contact operation is made by the operator using the detection values output from the pressure sensitive sensors 12, 12. Based on the contact operation detection result at this time, the controller 13 outputs a drive command to the piezo elements 11, 11... In the range in which the contact operation has been performed, so that the piezo elements 11, 11. Thus, the operation button 9 is generated on the pad operation surface 8 as a tactile button corresponding to the item button 5 displayed on the display 3. At this time, the controller 13 generates a button after recognizing which item button 5 on the display 3 corresponds to the operation button 9 generated on the pad operation surface 8.

  The memory 15 of the controller 13 stores display data Dpc for various screens displayed on the display 3. When the display display type input device 2 is activated, the controller 13 displays the button selection decision screen 4 on the display 3 using the display data Dpc in the memory 15 and displays the item buttons 5 in a graphic form. When the operation button 9 is generated above, the item button 5 is allocated and displayed at the screen coordinate position corresponding to the generation position of the operation button 9. That is, the controller 13 generates the operation button 9 at the contact operation position on the pad 7 when the operator performs a contact operation on the pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7, and sets the operation coordinate position on the pad operation surface 8 at that time. Indexing is performed by detecting the absolute position, and the item button 5 is allocated and displayed on the screen position of the display 3 corresponding to the contact operation position.

  After generating the operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8, the controller 13 takes an operation state in which the operation button 9 is strongly pressed, and when the detected voltage output Vx obtained from the pressure sensor 12 is equal to or higher than the threshold value Va, the operation is performed. It is recognized that the button 9 has been pressed. When the controller 13 detects that the operation button 9 has been pressed, the controller 13 switches the screen of the display 3 to the next screen corresponding to the operation button 9 or executes a function corresponding to the operation button 9 on the vehicle 1. For example, the vehicle 1 is caused to perform an operation corresponding to the function of the operation button 9.

Next, the operation of the display display type input device 2 of this example will be described.
For example, when the vehicle key inserted into the key cylinder of the driver's seat is turned and the ignition switch (not shown) is operated to the ACC position or the ON position, the display display type input device 2 is activated. At this time, the controller 13 displays a menu screen 18 as shown in FIG. For example, a home item button 5a, a location registration item button 5b, a peripheral search item button 5c, a custom item button 5d, and the like are assigned to the menu screen 18 as various item buttons 5 of the car navigation system, for example, at the lower position of the screen. ing.

  Here, when selecting and determining the item button 5 in the menu screen 18 by a touch operation on the display 3, the operator touches the screen coordinate position on which the item button 5 to be executed is displayed with, for example, a finger. The controller 13 detects the screen coordinate position using, for example, a pressure sensor or a load sensor (not shown) incorporated in the display 3, and compares the touch operation position on the screen with the screen display position of the item button 5. Then, the item button 5 selected and determined at the time of the touch operation is recognized, and the vehicle 1 is caused to execute processing corresponding to the item button 5 selected and determined at the time of the touch operation.

  On the other hand, when the item button 5 in the menu screen 18 is selected and determined using the remote input device 6, the operator performs an operation of touching the pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7 of the remote input device 6 with a finger or the like. At this time, the controller 13 detects the contact operation of the pad operation surface 8 by the operator with the pressure sensor 12, and the calculated pressure (voltage output Vx) obtained from the detected value of the pressure sensor 12 changes from 0 level to a plus value. Then, with this detection value input, it is determined that there is a contact operation, and the contact position on the pad operation surface 8 at that time is recognized. The controller 13 recognizes the contact operation of the pad operation surface 8 at this time as a contact area such as which area range of the pad operation surface 8 is touched with a finger.

  When the controller 13 recognizes the contact operation of the pad operation surface 8, the controller 13 supplies a voltage to the piezo elements 11 located in the range of the contact area at that time, and puts the pins 10 respectively connected to the piezo elements 11 in a protruding state. Thus, the operation button 9 is generated on the pad operation surface 8 by using these protruding pins as tactile pins. When the controller 13 generates the operation buttons 9 with the pins 10, 10,... On the pad operation surface 8, the controller 13 supplies a voltage to the piezoelectric elements 11, 11,. As a result, the pin protrudes.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the operator touches the pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7 with a plurality of fingers (for example, a total of four fingers from the index finger to the little finger in FIG. 6), the controller 13 performs the pad operation surface 8. The operation buttons 9, 9... Having different functions are generated for each finger. Here, since the controller 13 of this example sequentially measures the number of selection determinations, that is, the number of times the button is used for the various item buttons 5, 5... Displayed on the display 3, the operation button 9 is provided on the pad operation surface 8. When generating, among the plurality of item buttons 5, 5..., Frequently used item buttons 5, 5... Are generated as operation buttons 9 on the pad operation surface 8. At this time, the controller 13 generates the item buttons 5 that are frequently used in order as the operation buttons 9 in order from the index finger side where the selection determination operation is easy.

  By the way, since the controller 13 can recognize the coordinate position of the pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7 in the XY coordinate system, when assigning frequently used operation buttons 9 to the pad operation surface 8 in order from the index finger side, The buttons are assigned by recognizing them as fingers that are easy to select and determine in descending order of X coordinate values. It should be noted that the determination of which contact coordinate position is easy to select and determine is not necessarily set in order from the largest X coordinate, for example, the order from the largest Y coordinate may be set, The position may be specified by looking at the Y coordinate in a composite manner.

  In the case of this example, on the pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7, for example, a home setting operation button 9a is generated at the index finger position of the pad operation surface 8, and a point registration operation button 9b is generated at the middle finger position of the pad operation surface 8, A peripheral search operation button 9c is generated at the ring finger position, and a custom operation button 9d is generated at the little finger position. When the controller 13 generates various operation buttons 9, 9,... On the pad operation surface 8, the controller 13 recognizes what function each of these operation buttons 9, 9,. It is.

  When the controller 13 generates the operation buttons 9, 9... On the pad operation surface 8, among the item button groups displayed on the menu screen 18, the item button 5 corresponding to the operation button 9 generated on the pad operation surface 8. , 5... Are assigned and displayed by moving the button display position in order to display them on the screen coordinate position corresponding to the button arrangement position of the operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8. That is, the controller 13 detects the contact operation position when the operator touches the pad operation surface 8 as an absolute position, and sets the screen coordinate position according to the position of the operation button 9 generated on the pad operation surface 8 at that time. Item buttons 5, 5... Are assigned and displayed.

  In this example, the home item button 5a is assigned and displayed on the menu screen 18 of the display 3 at a position corresponding to the index finger placed on the pad operation surface 8, and corresponds to the middle finger placed on the pad operation surface 8. The location registration item button 5b is assigned and displayed at the position to be operated, and the peripheral search item button 5c is assigned and displayed at the position corresponding to the ring finger placed on the pad operation surface 8 and corresponds to the little finger placed on the pad operation surface 8. The custom item button 5d is allocated and displayed at the position to be performed. It should be noted that the item buttons 5, 5,... That are not selected as the operation buttons 9 in the menu screen 18 remain in a state where they are displayed at the lower position of the screen without moving the display position.

  Here, the finger may move when the operator touches the pad operation surface 8, but the controller 13 of this example, as shown in FIG. 7, moves the finger so that the operation button 9 follows the moving finger. A process of sequentially changing the generation position of the operation button 9 in accordance with the contact position is performed. That is, since the controller 13 sequentially monitors the detection value output from the pressure sensor 12, when the contact operation position on the pad operation surface 8 changes, the operation button 9 is moved to the contact operation position after movement. In order to generate the above, the piezoelectric elements 11, 11,.

  When the operator performs a determination operation with the remote input device 6, the operator performs an operation of strongly pressing the operation button 9 generated on the pad operation surface 8. The controller 13 recognizes that the operation button 9 has been pressed when the calculated pressure (voltage output Vx) obtained from the detection value of the pressure sensor 12 is equal to or higher than the threshold value Va, and performs a function corresponding to the operation button 9 that has been pressed. Take action to be executed by the vehicle. Note that the execution function performed by the controller 13 at this time includes, for example, an operation function for switching the screen of the display 3 to the next screen or operating the car navigation device with a function corresponding to the operation button.

  When the operation button 9 is determined, the controller 13 moves the pin 10 that generates the operation button 9 on which the determination operation has been performed up and down several times to apply vibration, thereby indicating that the determination operation has been performed. Is notified to the operator. Further, when switching the display 3 to the next screen as an operation when the operation button 9 is determined, the controller 13 temporarily keeps the finger placed on the pad operation surface 8 at the same position. If so, the function of the item button 5 displayed on the next screen is assigned to the operation button 9 generated at that time.

  Therefore, in this example, when the operator touches the pad operation surface 8 of the remote input device 6 and performs a contact operation, the pin 10 at the contact operation portion is in a protruding state, and the item button is displayed on the pad operation surface 8. An operation button 9 for determining the selection is generated, and a button determination operation is performed by pressing the operation button 9. Therefore, when the operator selects and determines the item button 5 on the display 3, the operator places a finger on the pad operation surface 8 and presses the operation button 9 generated at that position, thereby selecting and determining. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to move the finger to the button position after the operator touches the screen with a finger, which was necessary when using the touch panel method. It becomes.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the pad operation surface 8 of the remote input device 6 is touched with a finger or the like, an operation button 9 is generated at the contact operation position. Therefore, if the operation button 9 generated at the contact position is pressed, The item button displayed in is operated to the selection decision state. Therefore, for example, a finger slide movement operation which is necessary in the case of the touch panel type is not required, and the button selection determination operation can be performed in a short time.

  (2) For example, when a touch panel type is used as a display display type input device, since the screen surface of the display 3 is planar, even if the operator performs a touch operation at the time of button selection, he / she wants to select it. There is a problem that it is difficult to confirm whether or not a finger touches the item button. However, in this example, since the operation button 9 having a tactile sensation is generated by the pin 10 of the pad operation surface 8, whether or not the operation button is in a selected state depends on whether or not a finger touches the operation button. Since it can be confirmed, the operability at the time of the button selection determination operation can be improved.

  (3) The various item buttons 5 displayed on the screen of the display 3 are allocated by moving to the screen coordinate position corresponding to the generation position of the operation button 9 at that time when the operation button 9 is generated on the pad operation surface 8. Is displayed. Accordingly, the operator can easily understand which item button 5 on the screen corresponds to the operation button 9 that he / she wants to perform the selection determination operation by looking at the display 3, and at the time of the button selection determination operation It is possible to prevent erroneous operation.

  (4) The pressure sensor 12 for detecting whether or not the operator touches the pad operation surface 8 with a finger or the like is arranged on the pad operation surface 8 of the remote input device 6 so as to surround the pins 10, 10. The For this reason, since the contact operation detection of whether or not the operator touches the pad operation surface 8 is detected directly on the pad operation surface 8, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection when performing the operation presence / absence determination. .

  (5) The pressure-sensitive sensor 12 on the pad operation surface 8 is shared between two detections, i.e., detection of the presence / absence of contact operation of the pad operation surface 8 by the operator and detection of presence / absence of the pressing operation of the operation button 9 by the operator. For this reason, it is not necessary to prepare the operation detection system parts separately for each of the two detections of the presence / absence detection of the touch operation and the detection of the presence / absence of the pressing operation.

  (6) When the operator's finger contact position moves, the operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8 moves so as to follow the finger. For this reason, even if the contact operation position is shifted after the operator touches the pad operation surface 8 and the operation button 9 is generated, the subsequent pressing operation can be performed without any problem.

  (7) When a plurality of operation buttons 9, 9... Are generated on the pad operation surface 8, these operation buttons 9 generate operation buttons that are frequently used. Even if ... is generated, a situation in which it is not used is less likely to occur, and it is easy to use and highly convenient.

  (8) When a plurality of frequently used operation buttons 9, 9,... Are generated on the pad operation surface 8, the operation buttons 9, 9,. Take. For this reason, when the operator presses down the operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8, the number of times that the most frequently used operation button 9 is operated with the most easy-to-use finger increases, which improves usability and convenience. Highly effective in improving.

  (9) When the operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8 is pressed and the display 3 is switched to the next screen, the operator temporarily keeps his finger at the same position on the pad operation surface 8. If there is, the operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8 is left generated, but processing for replacing only the function of the operation button 9 is performed. For this reason, after the screen is switched, for example, an operation in which the operator once removes his / her finger from the pad operation surface 8 and touches the pad operation surface 8 again becomes unnecessary.

  (10) When the operator depresses the operation button 9 on the pad operation surface 8, the group of pins 10, 10,... To notify the operator that the operation button 9 has been pressed. Therefore, when the operator presses the operation button 9, the operator can recognize whether or not this operation has been performed as intended.

  (11) The remote input device 6 is disposed at a position where the operator can operate the button without changing the seating posture, such as the position of the in-vehicle console. For this reason, when the operator performs a button operation with the remote input device 6, a situation in which the button operation is performed with an unreasonable posture is less likely to occur, which is also highly effective in suppressing erroneous operation of the button operation.

In addition, embodiment is not limited to the structure until now, You may change into the following aspects.
The contact operation and the pressing operation performed by the operator using the pad 7 of the remote input device 6 are not limited to performing one pressure sensor 12 in common. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, pressure sensors (load sensors) 41, 41... Are respectively provided at the bottoms of the piezo elements 11, 11. Presence / absence of the operation button 9 generated on the pad operation surface 8 may be detected by the pressure-sensitive sensor 41.

The contact position detection when the operator performs a touch operation on the pad operation surface 8 is not limited to the structure performed by the pressure sensitive sensor 12 provided on the surface of the pad operation surface 8. For example, if a use condition for operating the pad operation surface 8 of the pad 7 with one finger is given, as shown in FIG. 9, pressure sensitive sensors 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d may be disposed, and the presence / absence of the contact operation may be detected using detection values obtained from the pressure sensors 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d. In this case, the coordinate positions of the pressure sensitive sensors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d are Pa (Xa, Ya), Pb (Xb, Yb), Pc (Xc, Yc), Pd (Xd, Yd). If the loads applied to the pressure sensors 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d are fa, fb, fc, and fd, respectively, the coordinate position P (X of the load point when the operator applies the load F to the pad operation surface 8 is shown. , Y) is obtained by the following equation.
X = (Xafa + Xbfb + Xcfc + Xdfd) / (fa + fb + fc + fd)
Y = (Yafa + Ybfb + Ycfc + Ydfd) / (fa + fb + fc + fd)
The presence / absence of the operation when the operator presses the pad operation surface 8 is detected using the pressure sensor 12 provided on the surface of the pad operation surface 8 or the pressure sensor 41 provided on each piezo element 11, 11. It is not limited to the structure to be performed. For example, when the structure shown in FIG. 9 is used, it is possible to determine whether or not the pressing operation on the pad operation surface 8 is performed by checking whether or not the calculated load obtained from the detection values of the pressure sensors 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Presence / absence determination may be performed.

The pressure-sensitive sensor 12 is not limited to be disposed so as to surround one pin 10 from four directions, and may be disposed, for example, from eight directions.
The operation button 9 generated by the pin 10 on the pad operation surface 8 is not necessarily generated only at the contact portion that is operated to contact the pad operation surface 8. For example, the operation button 9 is used less frequently and is positioned at the lower position of the screen of the display 3. The group of item buttons 5 that remain in the displayed state may be generated as the operation buttons 9 with the pins 10 on the pad operation surface 8.

  The notification that the operation button 9 has been pressed is not limited to a form in which vibration is generated by sliding the group of pins 10 that generate the operation button 9 several times. For example, a display member such as an LED is provided. The operator may be notified that there is a pressing operation by illuminating it.

The pressure sensitive sensors 12, 41, and 42a to 42d are not limited to pressure sensors, and include various pressure sensors such as load sensors in a broad sense.
The piezo element 11 is not necessarily provided for each pin 10, and one piezo element 11 may be shared by a plurality of pins 10.

The arrangement position of the remote input device 6 is not limited to the in-vehicle console position, and for example, a spoke wheel spoke portion or an inner wall position of a vehicle door may be adopted.
The drive source of the pin 10 is not necessarily limited to the piezo element 11, and for example, a solenoid or the like may be used.

  The display-type input device 2 does not necessarily have a touch panel function, and this function may be omitted. Further, the display-display-type input device 2 is not necessarily limited to the device including the display 3, and may be a device having a function of simply generating the operation button 9 on the pad 7 by omitting the display system. Good.

The display-display-type input device 2 is not necessarily limited to being employed in the vehicle 1 and may be mounted on other devices or devices such as houses.
Next, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and other examples will be described below together with their effects.

  (1) The display control means according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising display control means capable of displaying item buttons corresponding to the various functions on the screen of the display device, wherein the drive control means is provided on the operation surface. When the operation button is generated, the operation button is generated as a button corresponding to the item button on the screen, and the function executing unit detects the operation button pressing operation when the detection unit detects the pressing operation of the operation button. The function of the item button corresponding to the button is executed. According to this configuration, item buttons corresponding to various functions are displayed on the display device, and operation buttons corresponding to the item buttons are generated in the operation unit. Therefore, since the operator can recognize what the operation button generated in the operation unit is by viewing the display device, it is easy to grasp the function of the operation button generated in the operation unit.

  (2) In any one of Claims 1 to 3 and the technical idea (1), the detection means may detect between the contact operation detection of the operation surface and the press operation detection of the operation button. When the detection value is output in common, the drive control unit determines that the contact operation is present, and when the detection value exceeds a threshold value that can be determined to be a pressing operation, the function execution unit performs the pressing operation. The remote operation type input device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that there is an operation. According to this configuration, since one detection means is shared between two detections of contact operation detection and pressing operation detection, it is not necessary to prepare each operation detection system component individually, thereby reducing the size of the device and the component cost. Effects such as reduction can be obtained.

  (3) In any one of claims 1 to 3 and the technical idea (1), the detection means includes first detection means for detecting the contact operation on the operation surface, and the pressing of the operation button. Second detection means for detecting an operation. According to this configuration, for example, when the presence / absence determination of the contact operation or the pressing operation is performed using one detection unit, a complicated detection format such as viewing the level position of the detection value of the detection unit is necessary. However, if separate detection means are prepared for the contact operation and the pressing operation, it is possible to determine the presence / absence of the operation without performing the process of determining the presence / absence of the operation by looking at the level position of the detection value. Thus, it is possible to determine the presence / absence of the detection operation with a simple determination process.

  (4) In any one of claims 1 to 3 and the technical idea (1), the detection means supports the operation unit at at least three points and detects a load applied to the operation unit. The presence / absence of the contact operation or the pressing operation is determined using a plurality of detection values output from each of the plurality of load detection units. According to this configuration, when performing the presence / absence determination of the contact operation or the pressing operation, for example, it is not necessary to provide detection means over the entire contact surface or to provide detection means for each protruding member. The presence / absence determination of the touch operation or the pressing operation can be performed by the detection means.

  (5) In any one of claims 1 to 3 and the technical ideas (1) to (4), the drive control means measures the number of times of use among the plurality of item buttons, and When the operation button is generated on the operation surface, an item button having a high use frequency is generated as the operation button from the plurality of item buttons on the operation surface. According to this configuration, an operation button group that is frequently used is generated on the operation surface, which is easy to use and highly convenient.

  (6) In any one of claims 1 to 3 and the technical ideas (1) to (5), the drive control means may be used when generating the frequently used operation buttons on the operation surface. The remote-operated input device according to claim 4, wherein the buttons that are frequently used are assigned in order from an easy finger position. According to this configuration, when the operator presses down the operation button on the operation surface, the number of times of operating the operation button with an easy-to-use finger increases, which contributes to further improvement in usability and convenience.

  (7) In any one of claims 1 to 3 and the technical ideas (1) to (6), when the operation button on the operation surface is pressed and the next screen is displayed on the screen. The buttons generated on the operation surface until then are recognized as the operation buttons corresponding to the next screen, and this operation is repeated every time the screen is switched. In this case, for example, even if an operation for switching the screen is performed as a function when the operation button is pressed, for example, after the screen is switched, for example, the operator once releases the hand from the operation surface and touches the operation surface again. Such an operation is not necessary, which is advantageous in improving convenience.

  (8) In any one of claims 1 to 3 and the technical ideas (1) to (7), when the operation button is pressed, it is determined that the operation button is pressed. Operation completion notification generating means for notifying the operator is provided. According to this configuration, when the operator presses the operation button on the operation surface, the operation completion notification generation unit notifies the operator to that effect, so whether or not the operator has performed the pressing operation. Can be recognized.

  (9) In any one of claims 1 to 3 and the technical ideas (1) to (8), the operation unit can be operated without changing the seating posture of the operator. It is arranged in the position. According to this configuration, when the operator operates the operation button on the operation surface, it is possible to operate the button without changing the seating posture, so that it is difficult for the operator to operate the button with an unreasonable posture. This is highly effective in suppressing erroneous operation of button operations.

The perspective view which shows the inside of a vehicle in one Embodiment. The top view which shows the external appearance of the pad of a remote input device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a pad of a remote input device, where (a) is a cross-sectional view when an operation button is not generated when the piezo element is contracted, and (b) is a cross-section when an operation button is generated when the piezo element is extended. Figure. The screen figure of the menu screen displayed as a button selection decision screen on a display. The schematic block diagram which shows the structure of a display display type input device. The top view which shows the pad state and screen state at the time of touching a pad with a hand. The top view which shows the pad state and screen state at the time of moving the hand which touched the pad. Sectional drawing of the pad of the remote input device in another example. The schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the display display type input device in another example.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Display as a display apparatus, 5 (5a-5d) ... Item button, 7 ... Pad as operation part, 8 ... Pad operation surface as operation surface, 9 (9a-9d) ... Operation button, 10 ... Projection member 11... Piezo element as drive means 12. Pressure sensor constituting detection means (contact operation detection means) 41, 42 a to 42 d. Pressure sensor constituting detection means 13. Drive control means A controller constituting function execution means and display control means.

Claims (3)

In a remote control input device used as an input system device when operating various devices,
An operation unit that an operator touches when selecting and determining a function to be executed from various functions;
A plurality of projecting members movable between two states of a projecting state projecting outside from the operation surface of the operation unit and a storage state buried in the operation surface;
A plurality of driving means provided as a driving source of the protruding member;
Detection means capable of detecting an operation of touching the operation surface by the operator based on a contact area at that time;
When the detection means detects a contact operation, the drive control means for setting the protruding member in the contact range where the contact operation has been in the protruding state and generating an operation button on the operation surface;
A remote operation type input device comprising: a function execution unit that executes a function corresponding to the operation button when the detection unit detects a pressing operation of the operation button. Provided with display control means capable of displaying item buttons corresponding to the various functions on the screen of the display device,
The drive control means generates the operation button as a button corresponding to the item button on the screen when generating the operation button on the operation surface,
The function execution means, when the detection means detects a pressing operation of the operation button, to execute the function of the item button corresponding to the operation button,
The display control means detects the generation position of the operation button on the operation surface by absolute position detection, and assigns and displays the item button to be displayed on the screen of the display device at a position corresponding to the operation button. The remote control type input device according to claim 1.   The detection means is a contact operation detection means for directly detecting an operation of the operator touching the operation surface on the operation surface, and the contact operation detection means is disposed around the protruding member. The remote-control input device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

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