JP2008265511A - Vehicle-mounted electronic equipment operation unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle-mounted electronic equipment operation unit capable of emphasizing the approach of a finger to an operation input section with various lighting modes, improving appearance with lighting, and surely grasping an aimed operation section even in the case wherein multiple operation input sections are provided. <P>SOLUTION: Lighting color of an indicator light source 11 is changed in response to a distance between an operation input section 9 and an operating body part F. The approach of a finger to the operation input section 9 can be thereby more emphasized, and appearance by lighting can be improved. Even in the case wherein multiple operation input sections 9 are provided, an aimed operation section can be surely grasped by color change display. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit.

JP 2002-91674 A JP-A-10-64383

  In an in-vehicle electronic device operation unit equipped with a large number of operation input units used in car navigation devices, car air conditioners, etc., the distance from the user's finger (operation body part) to the operation input unit is detected by an infrared sensor. A configuration is known in which the illumination luminance on the operation input unit is changed according to the distance (Patent Documents 1 and 2). In particular, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of operation input units are divided into several groups, and the proximity of the finger is detected by a reflective infrared sensor for each group, and the illumination brightness of the operation input unit of the group that the finger approaches is determined. A configuration to be uploaded is disclosed.

  However, in order to improve the operability mainly at night or the like, the above configuration is a configuration in which only the illumination luminance is simply increased with the approach of the finger to the operation input unit, which is inorganic and lacks aesthetics. There are difficulties. In addition, the illumination form is monochromatic, and there is a problem that the effect of selectively emphasizing a target among a large number of operation input units is somewhat lacking.

  The problem of the present invention is that the approach of the finger to the operation input unit can be more emphasized by various illumination forms, the aesthetics by illumination can be improved, and the target operation unit can be reliably grasped even when there are a large number of operation input units. Another object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle electronic device operation unit that can be used.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an in-vehicle electronic device operation unit according to the present invention is an in-vehicle electronic device operation unit used by being installed in a vehicle in order to perform operation input of the in-vehicle electronic device mounted on the vehicle. There,
An operation input unit provided at a position operable from an occupant seated in a seat in the vehicle;
Distance detection means for detecting a distance between the operation input unit and an operation body part of an occupant approaching the operation input unit;
An indicator light source indicating the position of the operation input unit provided along with the operation input unit;
And an indicator light source driving means for driving the indicator light source so that the lighting color changes according to the distance between the operation input unit and the operating body part.

  According to the configuration of the vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit of the present invention, the lighting color of the indicator light source changes according to the distance between the operation input unit and the operation body part, so that the approach of the finger to the operation input unit can be more emphasized. Also, the beauty of lighting can be improved. Further, even when there are a large number of operation input units, the target operation unit can be reliably grasped by the color change display.

  The indicator light source drive means can be configured to drive and control the indicator light source so that the lighting luminance of the indicator light source changes according to the distance from the operating body part together with the lighting color. As the operating body part approaches, by changing the lighting brightness as well as the lighting color of the indicator light source, it is possible to further emphasize the operation input unit where the finger has approached.

  A plurality of sets of operation input units and indicator light sources can be provided. In this case, the distance detection means can be configured to detect the distance between the operating body part and each operation input unit. The indicator light source driving means can be configured to light and drive the indicator light source accompanying each operation input unit so that the smaller the distance to the operating body part, the higher the luminance. By individually grasping the distance between the operation body part and each operation input unit, the brightness of the indicator light source associated with each operation input unit can be controlled more finely, and the target operation input unit is more accurately emphasized. be able to. In particular, if the indicator light source driving means is configured to turn on only the indicator light source of the operation input unit whose distance to the operating body part is less than the threshold distance and has the smallest distance, the enhancement effect is further enhanced. It is done. Regarding the lighting color of the indicator light source, it may be configured such that only the light whose distance to the operating body part is the smallest is turned on, and the lighting color is changed according to the distance, or the distance to the operating body part. Not only the operation input unit having the smallest value but also the operation input units existing around it may be turned on, and the lighting color may be changed according to the distance.

  When a plurality of operation input units are provided, the operation input units are divided into two or more groups each including a plurality of operation input units, and the indicator light source driving means has a distance from the operation body part that is less than a threshold distance. It is also possible to change the lighting colors of the indicator light sources of the groups in the batch. Accordingly, for example, the indicator light sources of the operation input unit groups that are functionally related can be collectively emphasized, and the convenience of the operation can be achieved.

  When the operation panel is formed in such a manner that a plurality of operation input units are arranged in the housing front area, the distance detection means are distributed and arranged so as not to be arranged on the same straight line in the housing front area. Based on three or more distance detection sensors that independently detect the spatial distance to the body part, arrangement position coordinate information in the front surface area of each distance detection sensor, and spatial distance detection information of each distance detection sensor, An operation body part three-dimensional position information calculating means for calculating three-dimensional position information in front of the front surface area of the operation body part can be configured.

  For example, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, each infrared sensor provided for each group of operation input units in the front area of the housing only detects the distance to the finger in a one-dimensional manner. It is impossible to specify precisely, and there is a difficulty that can be applied only to simple control that collectively switches the luminance of LEDs in a group based on a binary detection signal of an infrared sensor. However, in the above configuration, the front surface of the body of the operating body part (finger) is based on the principle similar to so-called triangulation by combining the position information of each sensor with the distance information detected simultaneously by each applied sensor. The three-dimensional position information in front of the area, that is, the spatial current position information of the operation body part with respect to the operation panel can be specified, and finer lighting control of the indicator light source can be performed using this.

  The distance detection sensor includes an infrared light emitting unit that projects infrared rays toward the operating body part and an infrared light receiving unit that receives reflected light from the infrared operating body part, and the distance is detected based on information of the reflected light. Can be configured to detect. The distance detection information can be detected by, for example, the intensity of reflected light, or the infrared light receiving unit can be configured as a line sensor, and a method of specifying the distance based on the light receiving position of the reflected light can be adopted. It is. On the other hand, the distance detection sensor may include a pyroelectric sensor that detects infrared rays emitted from the operating body part, and may be configured to detect the distance based on the infrared detection intensity of the pyroelectric sensor.

  For example, when the above three-dimensional position information is used, the distance between the operation body part and each operation input unit is not provided with each operation input unit, that is, although the number of distance sensors is small. Can be detected individually. For example, as described above, it is possible to easily realize control such that only the indicator light source corresponding to the operation input unit with the closest operating body part is selectively lit.

  Further, in the configuration in which the front surface area of the housing is divided into a plurality of subareas, and the plurality of operation input units are each divided into a plurality of groups and assigned to each subarea, the distance detection unit includes: It is possible to detect in which sub-area the operating body part is located based on the three-dimensional position information. Thereby, the subarea to which the operation body part belongs can be specified more accurately.

  Further, the operating body part approach direction specifying means for specifying the approaching direction of the operating body part to the operation input unit based on the temporal change of the three-dimensional position information of the operating body part calculated by the operating body part three-dimensional position information calculating means. Can also be provided. By identifying the approach direction, the operation control mode of the indicator light source (and the input control mode by the corresponding operation input unit) can be changed according to the approach direction, greatly expanding the operation unit operation variations. can do.

  Specifically, it identifies from which seat the approaching direction of the operating body part specified by the operating body part approaching direction specifying means is, and inputs an operation input mode specific to the identified seat. Operation input mode setting means for setting in the unit can be provided. Thereby, the input control form when there is an operation in the operation input unit can be set to a specific content according to which seat is operated. For example, if a plurality of different device functions are assigned to the same operation input unit depending on the seat type, the device function corresponding to the seat identified as the operation input mode is selected and set in the operation input unit can do.

  For example, the operation input mode setting means can set a mode for invalidating the operation input to a predetermined operation input unit when the identified seat is a predetermined invalidation target seat. . Thereby, it can set so that operation of the operation input part from a specific seat becomes impossible. For example, if you want to prohibit a driver from operating a specific operation input unit while driving the vehicle, if the operation input unit is operated from the driver's seat side, the operation input can be invalidated. Good. In order to prevent mischief, etc., if you want to prohibit the operation from the passenger seat or the rear seat to a specific operation input unit, if the operation input unit is operated from the seat side, What is necessary is just to invalidate the operation input.

  It is also possible to drive the indicator light source in different lighting modes depending on the identified seat. For example, the type of the first invalidation operation input unit invalidated when operated from the first seat is the type of the second invalidation operation input unit invalidated when operated from the second seat. If the indicator light source corresponding to the first invalidation operation input unit is different from the indicator light source corresponding to the remaining operation input unit, the second lighting operation is set to the first lighting mode for controlling the indicator light source to be in a different lighting state. It is possible to drive the indicator light source corresponding to the input unit to be in the second lighting mode in which the indicator light source corresponding to the remaining operation input unit is controlled to be in a different lighting state. Note that the second lighting mode includes the concept that there is no operation input unit that is invalidated when operated from the second seat, and in this case, each operation input unit (the operation body part approaches) The same lighting state can be controlled.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an operation panel used in an in-vehicle electronic device operation unit of the present invention. The vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit is specifically for use in the operation of a vehicle-mounted electronic device such as a car navigation system, a car audio (or audiovisual), or a car air conditioner system. In this embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a car navigation system is taken as an example. The operation panel 1 of this car navigation system is attached to the central part of the instrument panel of the automobile and can be operated from both the driver's seat and the passenger seat.

  The operation panel 1 is provided in a form in which a plurality of operation input units 9 are arranged in the front surface area of the housing. In the center (upper) of the front area of the housing, a monitor 14 (for example, constituted by a backlit liquid crystal display) for displaying a guidance screen by a map is arranged, and its surrounding area is a plurality of sub-areas 90A. , 90B, 90C. The plurality of operation input units 9 are each divided into a plurality of groups and assigned to the respective sub-areas 90A, 90B, 90C. Specifically, a right sub-area 90A located on the right side of the display device 14, a left sub-area 90B located on the left side, and a central sub-area 90C located in the center below the display device 14 are formed. Yes.

  Each operation input unit 9 is configured by a translucent resin as a whole, or a key or dial having a structure in which a light projecting unit for identifying an operation unit is formed on the front side of the main body unit by a non-translucent resin. The indicator LED 11 which makes each indicator light source is built in. The light from the indicator LED 11 passes through the operation input unit 9 and is visually recognized by the user, and plays a role of notifying the user of the position of the operation input unit 9.

  In the front area of the housing, as a distance detection means, three distance detections (which may be provided with three or more redundancy) that independently detect the spatial distance to the user's operation body part (finger). The sensors 2A, 2B, 2C are distributedly arranged so as not to be arranged on the same straight line. Specifically, the distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, and 2C are arranged at the centers of the sub-areas 90A, 90B, and 90C, each having a triangular apex.

  Each of the distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, and 2C includes an infrared light emitting unit 3 that projects infrared rays toward the operating body part, and an infrared light receiving unit 4 that receives the reflected light of the infrared operating body part. The distance to the operating body part is detected based on the light information. The infrared light emission part 3 is comprised by infrared LED, for example. The infrared light receiving unit 4 is constituted by a CdS sensor or the like, and the distance to the operating body part is specified based on the received light intensity output of the reflected light. Note that the infrared light receiving unit may be configured as a line sensor in which infrared detection elements (for example, phototransistors) are arranged one-dimensionally, and the distance may be specified based on the light receiving position of the reflected light.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the on-vehicle electronic device operation unit. The control main body of the in-vehicle electronic device operation unit 100 is a microcomputer 50, and includes a CPU 52, a RAM 53, a ROM 54, and an input / output unit 51. The input / output unit 51 is connected to distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, and 2C. The infrared light emitting unit 3 is connected to an input / output unit 51 via a driver (drive circuit) 5, and the infrared light receiving unit 4 is connected to an input / output unit 51 via an amplifier 6 and an A / D converter 8 that amplify the detection input. The operations of the distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, and 2C are controlled by the microcomputer 50 executing a sensor drive program (ROM 54).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, and 2C may be configured as a pyroelectric sensor 4P that detects infrared rays emitted from the operating body part. In this case, the pyroelectric sensor The distance to the operating body part is specified based on the detection intensity of infrared rays by 4P (naturally, the infrared light emitting unit 3 is omitted in this configuration).

  Next, the monitor 14, each input unit 9, and the indicator LED 11 are also connected to the input / output unit 51. Indicator LED11 is comprised as a full color LED unit in this embodiment. Specifically, various illumination lights can be easily obtained by combining light emitting diodes of three primary colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B). FIG. 3 shows an example of the circuit configuration, and each of the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light emitting diodes 3401 is connected to a power source (Vs) to constitute the driver 12. Each transistor 3402 is driven to be switched. This switching is PWM controlled by a duty ratio determined by a cycle of a triangular wave (which may be a sawtooth wave) input to a comparator 3403 included in the driver 12 and a voltage level of the command signal. The input waveform of the command signal to the light emitting diodes 3401 of each color can be changed independently, and light emission of any color tone and intensity can be obtained according to the mixing ratio of the three lighting colors. FIG. 4 shows an example of visually recognized mixed light that can be realized by changing the mixing ratio (depending on the duty ratio) of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light.

As shown in FIG. 2, the indicator LED 11 is connected to the input / output unit 51 via the driver 12 and the D / A converter 13. By executing the indicator driving program (in the ROM 54), the microcomputer 50 converts the designated values of the lighting color and lighting luminance for each indicator LED 11 into RGB duty ratios η _A , η _B and η _C , and the values are D The analog duty ratio indicating voltage is converted by the / A converter 13 and input to the driver 12 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the indicator LED 11 is driven to emit PWM light with the corresponding lighting color and lighting luminance.

  Next, the microcomputer 50 uses the position / distance calculation program in the ROM 54 to determine the spatial distance to the operating body part that each of the distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, 2C detects independently, and the distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, 2C. Based on the arrangement position coordinate information in the front surface area of the casing, the three-dimensional position information of the detected operating body part in front of the front surface area of the casing is calculated (operating body part three-dimensional position information calculating means).

The details of the calculation are as follows. First, an X axis and a Y axis that are orthogonal to each other are taken on a plane that forms the front surface area of the housing, and a Z axis that is perpendicular to the plane is taken. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, on the XY plane forming the front surface area of the housing in the (X, Y, Z) coordinate system, the origin O and a point that is an isosceles triangle of AO = AB The distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, 2C are arranged at positions corresponding to A and point B. The coordinates of the sensor are point O (0, 0, 0), point A (a, b, 0), point B (2a, 0, 0), and the point P to be measured on the operating body part detected by each sensor. When the distances to L ₁ , L ₂ , and L ₃ are coordinates, the coordinates (X _P , Y _P , Z _P ) (three-dimensional position information) of the measurement point P can be calculated as follows. is there. First, the distance between the measured point P and each sensor is
L ₁ ² = X _P ² + Y _P ² + Z _P ² ... (1)
L ₂ ² = (X _P −a) ² + (Y _P −b) ² + Z _P ² ... (2)
L ₃ ² = (X _P −2a) ² + Y _P ² + Z _P ² ... (3)
It is. _XP is from (1) and (3) above.
^{_{X P = (L 1 2 -L}} 3 2 + 4a 2) / 4a ·· (4)
_YP is obtained from (1), (2), (4)
^{_{Y P = (L 1 2 -2L}} 2 2 + L 3 2 -2a 2 + 2b 2) / 4b ·· (5)
Can be obtained as
Z _P is a modification of equation (1).
^{_{Z P = (L 1 2 -X}} P 2 -Y P 2) 1/2 ·· (1) '
More, (4), it can be calculated by substituting to the values of _{X P} and _{Y P} obtained by (5).

Then, if the arrangement position of each operation input unit 9 is (Xn, Yn, Zn), the distance dn between the operation input unit 9 and the measured point P on the operation body part is:
dn = {(X _P -Xn) ² + (Y _P -Yn) ² + (Z _P -Zn) ² } ^1/2 (6)
Is calculated as

Hereinafter, the operation of the in-vehicle electronic device operation unit 100 will be described. The basic processing flow is shown in FIG. That is, in S1, sensing processing for calculating the coordinates (X _P , Y _P , Z _P ) of the measured point P is performed by the sensor driving program. Then, by using the calculated coordinate value of the measurement point P, the distance between each operation input unit 9 and the distance dn between the operation body parts is individually calculated by the above equation (6). Indicator LED11 accompanying each operation input part 9 is drive-controlled so that a lighting color changes according to the distance dn between the operation input part 9 and the operation body part (S2, S3). That is, in the ROM 54 of FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 8, the lighting color (c1, c2...) And luminance (b1, b2...) To be set for each value (d1, d2...) Of the distance dn. A table indicating setting values is stored, and by referring to this table, the lighting color and luminance corresponding to the calculated distance dn are read, and the respective RGB duty ratios η _A , from which the lighting color and luminance are obtained, Convert to η _B and η _C.

  As shown in the lower part of FIG. 8, when the distance of the finger (operating body part) changes immediately above the operation input unit to be operated, in this embodiment, when the finger approaches to the closest distance, the lighting color becomes yellow. The brightness is also the maximum value, but as the distance increases, the lighting color changes from red to purple to blue (you may reverse the order of change in lighting color as shown in parentheses), and the brightness gradually decreases. It is set as follows. Further, the lighting color may be changed stepwise from yellow → red → purple → blue, or may be changed continuously through the transition period Tb of the intermediate color (the lighting luminance is continuously in the lower part of FIG. 8). It is changing, but it is possible to change this step by step).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, when another operation input unit 9S exists adjacent to the operation input unit 9M to be operated (for example, left and right below the monitor 14 in the subarea 90C of FIG. 1). A plurality of operation input units 9 arranged), a distance d1 ′ to the operation input unit 9S is calculated in a manner of looking at the finger diagonally, and an indicator LED associated with the operation input unit 9S is also independent according to the distance. Thus, lighting control by lighting color and brightness is performed.

  For example, as shown in state 1, when the finger F approaches the central operation input unit 9M, the corresponding indicator LED is controlled to be lit in yellow with a relatively high luminance, but the adjacent operation input unit 9S has the finger F The lighting is controlled to be slightly darker with a different lighting color (for example, red) as the distance up to is longer. As a result, the operation input unit 9S around the operation input unit 9M aimed at the operation is also turned on so as to have a red skirt, thereby enhancing the effect. Then, when the state 2 → the state 3 and the finger F are moved away, the indicator LED of the operation input unit 9M is dimmed while changing from yellow → red → blue. In addition, the indicator LED of the surrounding operation input unit 9S changes from red to blue, and in state 3, the indicator LED is turned off before the indicator LED of the operation input unit 9M. When the finger F is brought close, this order is reversed. Note that a mode in which the lighting brightness is constant regardless of the distance and only the lighting color is changed is also possible.

  Further, as shown in state 4, if the finger F is moved from the position immediately above the operation input unit 9M toward the surrounding operation input unit 9S while keeping the distance of the finger F, the operation input unit 9S to which the finger F approaches becomes closer. The indicator LED is brightened while changing from red to yellow, and the indicator LED of the operation input unit 9M where the finger F is separated is dimmed while changing from yellow to red. For example, when the finger F is moved along the arrangement of the plurality of operation input units 9 arranged on the left and right of the subarea 90C in FIG. 1, the lighting indicator LED group arranged adjacent to the position corresponding to the finger F In the form of dimming while changing the color on both sides, it appears to move according to the finger F, and a pleasant production effect is obtained.

  In the lower part of FIG. 8, the indicator LED 11 is controlled so that the luminance is zero when the distance dn to the operation body part exceeds the threshold distance ds, that is, the light is turned off, but the luminance does not become zero even when the distance is longer than the threshold distance ds. It is also possible to perform lighting control as described above, for example, lighting at a constant base luminance (and a constant lighting color) at a threshold distance ds or more.

  Next, in the above example, when there are a plurality of operation input units 9 whose distance d to the finger F (operating body part) is less than the threshold distance ds, all of them are lit (or base luminance). Although the control is performed (as described above), it is also possible to perform control such that only the indicator LED 11 of the operation input unit 9 having the smallest distance d is in a lighting state (or more than the base luminance). The flow of processing in this case is as shown in FIG.

That is, in S50, the sensing process for calculating the coordinates (X _P , Y _P , Z _P ) of the measurement point P is performed by the sensor driving program, as in S1 of FIG. In S51 and S52, the distance between each operation input unit 9 and the distance dn between the operation body parts is individually calculated using the calculated coordinate value of the measurement point P. In S55, the calculated distance dn is compared to find the operation input unit 9 with the smallest distance dn, and only the indicator LED 11 associated with the operation input unit 9 is the distance dn between the operation input unit 9 and the operating body part. Drive control is performed so that the lighting color changes in accordance with (S55, S56).

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, if another operation input unit 9S exists adjacent to the operation input unit 9M to be operated, the distance to these operation input units 9S is less than the threshold distance. Even if it is, only the indicator LED of the operation input unit 9M having the shortest distance is turned on, and the indicator LED is changed by changing the distance directly above the operation input unit 9M as shown in the states 1 to 3. The lighting control is performed so that the lighting color and brightness of the LED changes. The indicator LEDs of the remaining operation input unit 9M are controlled to be extinguished in this embodiment, but, for example, a base luminance lighting state having a certain lighting color may be set.

  Moreover, as shown in state 4, when the finger F is kept at a distance from the position immediately above the operation input unit 9M and moved to the surrounding operation input unit 9S, the operation input unit 9S as the movement destination becomes the closest. Accordingly, the indicator LED of the operation input unit 9S that has been lit up until now is turned off (or the base luminance is on), and instead the indicator LED of the operation input unit 9S that is off (or the base luminance is on) is displayed. The lighting state is such that the luminance and lighting color change according to the distance d2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the lighting colors of the indicator LEDs 11 of the group (that is, in the sub-area) whose distance from the finger F (operating body part) is less than the threshold distance are collectively changed. It can also be configured. Here, the case where the indicator LEDs 11 in the sub area 90B are turned on all at once when the finger F approaches the sub area 90B is illustrated.

In this case, first, in which sub-area the finger F (operation body part) exists is specified. There are two methods. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the measured point P (three-dimensional position) of the finger F is calculated, and the XY coordinates (X _{P of the} measured point P are calculated. , Y _P ) is a method for calculating and determining which of the sub-areas 90A, 90B, and 90C defined in the region on the XY plane is located. In this case, the indicator LEDs of the operation input unit that do not belong to the subarea to which the measured point P (that is, the finger F) belongs are collectively turned off or turned on. That is, when the measured point P belongs to the outer edge region of the sub area, the indicator LED of the operation input unit belonging to the adjacent sub area is in the off state or the base lighting state even if the distance is less than the threshold value. is there.

  On the other hand, for the indicator LED of the sub-area to which the measured point P belongs, with respect to the lighting color (and luminance), only the light with the shortest distance to the operating body part is lit, and the lighting color is changed according to the distance. In addition to the operation input unit having the shortest distance to the operation body part, the operation input unit existing around it may be lit, and the lighting color may be changed according to the distance. You may comprise as follows.

  Further, all the lighting colors and lighting luminances of the indicator LEDs in the sub-area may be changed uniformly according to the approach / separation of the finger F (operating body part). In this case, the first method may be used as a method for specifying in which subarea the finger F exists, but as a second method, distance detection of each subarea 90A, 90B, 90C is performed. Depending on which of the sensors 2A, 2B, and 2C detects the shortest distance to the finger F, it is possible to adopt a method that makes area determination more easily. FIG. 13 shows the flow of processing in this case. First, in S151, S152, and S153, it is specified whether or not any of the distance detection sensors 2A, 2B, and 2C in each subarea (group) detects the finger F at a distance less than the threshold distance. If any are detected, it is determined in S154 which distance detection sensor detects the shortest distance to the finger F, and all the indicator LEDs in the subarea to which the distance detection sensor belongs are turned on. The color and lighting brightness are uniformly changed according to the detection distance (S155, S156).

Next, when the measurement point P of the finger F is calculated by the method described with reference to FIG. 5, the temporal change of the measurement point P can be stored as a movement history of the finger F (FIG. 2: Position memory in RAM 53). For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the measurement point P (X _P , Y _P , Z _P ) moves to P ′ (X _P ′, Y _P ′, Z _P ′) after a certain time in the movement history. In this case, the approach direction of the operating body part can be specified from the direction of the movement trajectory vector k determined by both coordinate points P and P ′. As in this embodiment, when the operation panel is positioned between the driver seat and the passenger seat, the change in X coordinate indicating a lateral direction, that is, the codes of X _P '-X _P, operation driver's seat It is possible to specify whether the vehicle is from the side or from the passenger seat. If the driver's seat is right, passenger seat on the left, if the sign is positive X _P '-X _P is an operation of the passenger side can be specified as the operation from the driver's seat if also negative .

  Then, different operation input modes can be set for the operation input unit group of FIG. 1 depending on the identified seat. For example, in FIG. 15, when the vehicle is traveling at a certain vehicle speed or higher, for example, the operation input unit 9I used for destination setting is specified as an operation from the driver's seat side by the above method. Then, the operation can be invalidated, and if it is an operation from the passenger seat side, a process of accepting the operation can be performed (that is, the driver's seat is the invalidation target seat).

  In this case, the indicator LED can be driven as follows. That is, the indicator LED 11 can be driven to light in different lighting modes depending on the identified seat. That is, the operation input unit 9I is a first invalidation operation input unit that is invalidated when operated from the driver's seat (first seat). There is no operation input unit to be invalidated. When the indicator LED 11 corresponding to the operation input unit 9I is operated from the driver's seat (first seat), the indicator LED 11 does not turn on even if the finger F approaches (or maintains the base lighting state). However, when operated from the passenger seat (second seat), the lighting brightness is increased by the approach of the finger F, and the lighting color is controlled to change. The remaining operation input unit 9A is controlled so that the lighting brightness increases and the lighting color changes by the approach of the finger F regardless of the operation from either the driver seat or the passenger seat. It should be noted that a part of the remaining operation input unit 9A is invalidated for the operation from the passenger seat (second seat) and is not invalidated for the operation from the driver seat (first seat). It is also possible to make a part. Contrary to the above, the indicator LED of the operation input unit does not turn on even when the finger F approaches when operated from the passenger seat (second seat) (or maintains the base lighting state). ) Is operated from the driver's seat (first seat), the lighting brightness is increased by the approach of the finger F, and the lighting color is controlled to change.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking as an example the case where the present invention is applied to a car navigation system. However, the application target of the present invention is not limited to a car navigation system, and can be similarly applied to an operation unit of a car air conditioner, for example. . For example, when applying to a dual mode air conditioner where the air conditioning temperature can be set independently on the driver's side and passenger's side, if the temperature setting input part is shared by both seats and the operation is from the driver's side If the air conditioning set temperature on the driver's seat side is changed and the operation is performed from the passenger seat side, the air conditioning set temperature on the passenger seat side can be changed. That is, in this case, different device functions (that is, a change in the air conditioning set temperature on the driver's seat side and a change in the air conditioning set temperature on the passenger seat side) are assigned to the shared temperature setting input unit according to the seat type. The device function corresponding to the identified seat is selected and set in the operation input unit.

The front view which shows an example of the operation panel of the car navigation system used as the application object of this invention. The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the operation unit using the operation panel of FIG. The circuit diagram which shows the example which comprised LED for indicator as full color LED. The figure which shows the lighting color which can be output with LED for indicators of FIG. 3 with the duty ratio setting example of RGB. The figure which shows the method of calculating the three-dimensional position information of an operation body part using the detection result of three distance detection sensors. Explanatory drawing which shows the 1st operation example of LED for indicators. The flowchart which shows the flow of the lighting drive control corresponding to a 1st operation example. The schematic diagram which shows the data example of the brightness | luminance and lighting color which are used for the lighting drive control of LED for an indicator. Explanatory drawing which shows a 1st operation example in detail. The flowchart which shows the flow of the lighting drive control corresponding to the 2nd operation example of LED for indicators. Explanatory drawing which shows a 2nd operation example in detail. Explanatory drawing which shows the 3rd operation example of LED for indicators. The flowchart which shows the flow of the lighting drive control corresponding to a 3rd operation example. The figure explaining the method of specifying an operation direction based on the calculated three-dimensional position information. Explanatory drawing which shows the 4th operation example of LED for indicators using the specific result of the operation direction.

Explanation of symbols

100 On-vehicle electronic device operation unit 2A, 2B, 2C Distance detection sensor (distance detection means)
9 Operation Input Unit 11 Indicator LED (Indicator Light Source)
50 Microcomputer (indicator light source driving means, operation input mode setting means, operating body part approach direction specifying means, operating body part three-dimensional position information calculating means)
90A, 90B, 90C subarea

Claims (14)

A vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit that is used by being installed in the vehicle in order to perform an operation input of the vehicle-mounted electronic device mounted on the vehicle,
An operation input unit provided at a position operable from an occupant seated on a seat in the vehicle;
A distance detection means for detecting a distance between the operation input unit and an operation body part of the occupant approaching the operation input unit;
An indicator light source indicating the position of the operation input unit provided along with the operation input unit;
Indicator light source driving means for driving the indicator light source so that a lighting color changes according to a distance between the operation input unit and the operation body part;
A vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit characterized by comprising:   The vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit according to claim 1, wherein the indicator light source driving unit is configured to drive and control the indicator light source so that a lighting luminance of the indicator light source changes according to a distance from the operation body part together with the lighting color. A plurality of sets of the operation input unit and the indicator light source are provided,
The distance detection means detects a distance between the operation body part and each operation input unit,
The in-vehicle electronic device operation unit according to claim 2, wherein the indicator light source driving unit lights and drives the indicator light source accompanying each operation input unit so that the smaller the distance to the operation body part is, the higher the luminance is. .   The in-vehicle electronic device operation according to claim 3, wherein the indicator light source driving means turns on only the indicator light source of the operation input unit whose distance from the operation body part is less than a threshold distance and whose distance is the smallest. unit. A plurality of the operation input units are provided, and the operation input units are divided into two or more groups each including a plurality of operation input units,
The in-vehicle electronic device operation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the indicator light source driving means collectively changes the lighting color of the indicator light source of the group whose distance from the operation body part is less than a threshold distance. unit. An operation panel is formed in a form in which a plurality of the operation input units are arranged in the front surface area of the housing.
The distance detecting means is arranged in a distributed manner so as not to be collinearly arranged in the front surface area of the housing, and each of the three or more distance detection sensors that independently detect a spatial distance to the operation body part, Based on the coordinate information of the position of the distance detection sensor in the front area of the casing and the spatial distance detection information of each distance detection sensor, the three-dimensional position information of the operation body part in front of the front area of the casing is calculated. The vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit according to claim 1, further comprising: an operating body part three-dimensional position information calculation unit that performs operation.   The distance detection sensor includes an infrared light emitting unit that projects infrared rays toward the operating body part, and an infrared light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the infrared light from the operating body part, and is based on information of the reflected light The vehicle electronic device operation unit according to claim 6, wherein the distance is detected.   The in-vehicle use according to claim 6, wherein the distance detection sensor includes a pyroelectric sensor that detects infrared rays emitted from the operating body part, and detects the distance based on infrared detection intensity by the pyroelectric sensor. Electronic equipment operation unit.   The on-vehicle device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the distance detection unit detects a distance between the operation body part and each operation input unit based on the three-dimensional position information. Electronic device operation unit. The housing front area is divided into a plurality of sub areas, and the plurality of operation input units are each divided into a plurality of groups and assigned to each of the sub areas.
10. The distance detection unit according to claim 6, wherein the distance detection unit detects in which sub-area the operating body part is located based on the three-dimensional position information. In-vehicle electronic equipment operation unit.   An operation body part approach for specifying an approach direction of the operation body part to the operation input unit based on a temporal change of the three-dimensional position information of the operation body part calculated by the operation body part three-dimensional position information calculation unit The vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit according to claim 6, further comprising a direction specifying unit.   The operation input unit identifies which seat the access direction of the operation body part specified by the operation body part approach direction specifying means is from, and sets different operation input modes depending on the identified seat. The vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit according to claim 11, further comprising operation input mode setting means for setting to the above.   The operation input mode setting means sets a mode for invalidating an operation input to a predetermined operation input unit when the identified seat is a predetermined invalidation target seat. The vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit according to claim 12.   The vehicle-mounted electronic device operation unit according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the indicator light source is driven to be lit in a different lighting mode depending on the identified seat.

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