JPH0740789A - Operating device for vehicular equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To operate vehicular display means and acoustic means from a driver's seat and the like in a natural posture. CONSTITUTION:When a driver M sitting in a driver's seat 11 let go his left arm's grip on a steering wheel 12 so as to move his arm outside, he can touch the console panel 21 projected to a place where his left hand H is moved. A peripheral section 21b is formed on the console panel 21 while being faced to the palm of his left hand H, and control buttons are arranged along the peripheral section 21b. Therefore, he can push any control button by his thumb finger S while the peripheral section 21b is being held by his left hand H.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operating device for operating a vehicle-mounted device such as a display device and a sound device, and more particularly to a vehicle-mounted device which allows a person sitting in a seat to operate in a natural posture. Operation device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle-mounted device is equipped with a display device and various audio devices, and these operating parts are all installed in a plane on the front surface of the main body of the display device or the audio device. Is common. For example, in a vehicle-mounted display device shown in FIG. 6, an operation unit is provided along with a display screen 2 such as a liquid crystal display panel on the front surface of a case body 1 embedded in a dashboard in the front of the vehicle or independently installed in front of the dashboard. 3 is provided. Various operation members 3a, 3b, 3c are arranged on the operation portion 3 in a plane toward the inside of the vehicle.

[0003]

Thus, in the case where the various operation members 3a, 3b, 3c are arranged in a plane on the front surface of the case body 1, the various operation members are pointed with the index finger in the X direction. You have to press 3a, 3b, 3c. Therefore, when the driver tries to operate the operation unit 3, the posture of his / her hand becomes unnatural and it is difficult to operate. Further, since the various operation members 3a, 3b, 3c are arranged in a plane, it is difficult to recognize the type of the operation member when operating with the index finger, and it is possible to mistakenly operate other operation members. Therefore, when operating, it is necessary to direct the line of sight to the direction of the operation unit 3, which causes a problem of distracting attention during driving. The same is true for on-vehicle audio equipment, and memory switches and volume control switches for tuning are arranged in a plane along the dashboard, making it difficult to operate and making a line of sight during operation. Must be turned toward the operation part.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. An operation of an in-vehicle device which can be operated in a natural posture by moving an arm while sitting on a seat and in which an erroneous operation is hard to occur The purpose is to provide a device.

[0005]

An operating device for an on-vehicle device according to the present invention is provided with an operation panel extending from a front side of a seat toward a front direction, and a person seated on the seat has his or her arm to the side. An edge portion facing the palm of the hand when moved is formed, and the operation panel is provided with an operation member arranged along the edge portion.

Further, another operation member can be provided at a position apart from the edge portion on the operation panel.

Further, when a display screen operated by an operation member on the operation panel is provided in front of the seat,
It is preferable that the display screen is oriented in the same direction as the extending direction of the edge of the operation panel.

[0008]

With the above means, the operation panel is provided at a position where the hand naturally touches when the person sitting in the driver's seat or the like moves the arm to the side, and the edge of the operation panel is provided at the position where the palm touches. Is provided. By moving the palm along this edge, it is possible to search for the operating members arranged along the edge, and it is possible to operate the operating member with the thumb while touching the edge with the hand. it can. Therefore, it is not always necessary to move the line of sight to the operating device, and it is possible to recognize the type of the operating member and operate it by simply touching it with a hand, for example.

When the other operating member is arranged at a portion other than the edge portion of the operation panel like the second means, for example, the operating member which is frequently operated is arranged along the edge portion, and the operation which is not frequently used is performed. It is possible to arrange the members in a region other than the edge portion, and even if the operation panel in which a large number of operation members are arranged is configured, it becomes easy to find and operate an operation member that is frequently used.

In the third means, since the display screen provided in front of the seat is oriented in the direction in which the edge of the operation panel extends, when the arm is extended to touch the operation panel, the direction of the arm is extended. If you turn your line of sight to, the display screen will come into view naturally. Therefore, the display screen can be easily viewed, and the operation while viewing the display screen can be performed in a comfortable posture.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an operating device for a vehicle-mounted device and its peripheral structure according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a seat and the operating device, and FIG. 3 is an arrangement of operating members on the operating device. FIG. 4 is a front enlarged view showing an operation example of the operating device, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing in-vehicle equipment other than the operating device. FIG. 2 shows the driver's seat of the automobile from above, and the driver's seat 11 is oriented toward the front (X direction) of the vehicle body. A steering wheel 12 is provided in front of the driver's seat 11. A dashboard 13 is installed in front of the vehicle, and an instrument panel 14 in which meters are arranged in front of the steering wheel 12.
Is installed. An operating device 20 according to the present invention is installed in front of the driver's seat 11 and on the left side of the instrument panel 14 in the drawing.

The operating device 20 includes a dashboard 13
Is attached to the front of the vehicle or is formed integrally with the dashboard 13. An operation panel 21 is provided above the operation device 20, and a portion below the operation panel 21 is a support board 22. As shown in FIG. 4, a recess 23 is formed on the left side surface of the support board 22. Alternatively, the operation panel 21 may be independently supported in front of the dashboard 13 by a column or the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface 21a of the operation panel 21 projects slightly inclined toward the driver's seat 11 when viewed from above, and as shown in FIG. 1, the dashboard 13 is viewed from the front. At this time, the front surface 21a of the operation panel 21 is slightly inclined in a direction in which the surface 21a is lowered toward the inside of the vehicle (front side in the drawing).

FIG. 3 shows the surface 21a of the operation panel 21, and the left portion of the surface 21a in the drawing is an edge portion 21b curved in a concave shape. As shown in FIG. 2, when the driver M sitting in the driver's seat 11 moves the left arm A away from the steering wheel 12 to the left, the palm of the left hand H with the thumb S facing the ceiling is lifted. The edge 21b of the operation panel 21 is just touched. That is, as shown by (a) or (b) in FIG. 3, the palm of the left hand H faces the edge 21b, and in this state, the thumb S touches the upper surface of the edge 21b of the operation panel 21. In addition, the fingertips other than the thumb enter the recess 23, and the edge 21b can be grasped by the left hand.

A main display device 25 is provided on the left side of the operation device 20 of the dashboard 13, that is, between the driver seat 11 and the passenger seat. The main display device 25 has a display screen 25a such as a liquid crystal display panel, and the display screen 25a is directed to the rear (X1 direction) from the dashboard 13 as shown in FIG. There is. When used as a navigation device, a map and the position and traveling direction of the automobile are shown on the display screen 25a of the main display device 25. A sub display device 26 is provided above the dashboard 13.
A display screen 26a such as a liquid crystal display panel of the sub display device 26
2 is the direction indicated by X2 in FIG. 2, which is substantially the same as the direction in which the edge portion 21b of the operation panel 21 extends. When used as a navigation device, a display screen 26a of the sub-display device 26 displays an instruction such as a right turn or a left turn, an instruction to change lanes associated with a right turn or a left turn, and a distance to a destination. .

That is, since a map or the like is displayed on the main display device 25, the display screen 25a is oriented so that it can be easily seen from the passenger seat or the rear seat, but the display information on the display screen 26a of the sub display device 26 is displayed. Is mainly used by the driver M, and thus the display screen 26a is set in a direction in which the driver M can easily see. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the driver M extends the left arm A diagonally and operates the operation panel 21 with the left hand H, when the line of sight is directed to the left, the operation panel 21 and the sub-display are displayed in the same visual field. The screen 26a is entered. Therefore, the operation state and the display screen 26a can be confirmed in an instant, and it becomes unnecessary to remove the field of view ahead of the vehicle for driving for a long time. When the navigation device is not used, another display such as a clock display appears on the display screen 26a of the sub display device 26. Further, a television image receiving screen can be displayed on the screen of the main display device 25, or other information display such as traffic jam display and weather forecast display can be displayed.

FIG. 5 shows in-vehicle equipment other than the operating device 20 and the display devices 25 and 26. Main display device 2
On the front side of 5 and behind the shift lever 15, a performance device such as a mini disc MD is built in, and a disc insertion opening 27 thereof is opened. The mini disc MD or the like is loaded from the disc insertion opening 27 in a direction slightly inclined toward the rear seat. Behind the disc insertion slot 27,
A remote control storage unit 28 is provided, and a wireless remote control device 29 is stored in the remote control storage unit 28. When the button 28a on the side of the remote control housing 28 is pressed, the upper half of the wireless remote control device 29 pops out and can be held and taken out by hand. The wireless remote controller 29 is mainly used by passengers other than the driver M, and various operating members provided in the wireless remote controller 29 are mounted on the operation panel 21 of the operating device 20. The operation device 20 and the wireless remote control device 29 can operate in the same manner.

Now, various operation members arranged on the operation panel 21 of the operation device 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 21 is provided with several kinds of operation members, but the operation member (33, 34) having a relatively high frequency of use is provided in the region on the I side with the dashed-dotted line as a boundary. Operation members (31, 32) with complicated operations are arranged, and in the area on the II side,
Operating members (35, 36, 37) that are relatively infrequently used are arranged. When operating the operation member in the I-side area of the operation panel 21, the left hand H is slid along the edge 21b and moved between the position (a) and the position (b) to search for the operation member. be able to.

A first operation member 31 having a relatively complicated operation is provided at a position where the thumb S can be operated when the left hand H is moved to the position indicated by (b). The first operation member 31 is a two-dimensional operation switch that can be pushed in any direction within a plane along the surface 21a of the operation panel 21. When the navigation device is in operation, by pressing the first operating member 31 with the thumb S, the display of the destination appearing on the display screen 25a of the main display device 25 can be moved, or the vehicle can be moved. You can move the current position of. Also, from the position shown in (b), the left hand H
The second operating member 32 can be gripped by lowering the device along the left side of the support board 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the second operation member 32 is a rotary handle whose operation is relatively complicated. When the navigation device is operating, by turning the second operation member 32, the map appearing on the display screen 25a of the main display device 25 is scrolled.

When the left hand H at the position (b) shown in FIG. 3 is slid slightly forward along the edge 21b, the pair of third operating members 33, which are frequently used, can be touched. The third operating member 33 is a two-way pressing switch that can be pressed by the thumb S of the left hand H. The third operation member 33 is used for volume adjustment, and when the navigation device is operating, the volume of voice output for right turn guidance and left turn guidance is adjusted. The volume is adjusted by the third operating member 33 during radio reception or performance of the mini disc MD.

In FIG. 3, when the left hand H is moved forward along the edge portion 21b to the position (a), it is possible to touch any of the frequently used fourth operating members 34. The fourth operating member 34 is six push switches. When the navigation device is operating, a plurality of destinations can be preset in the memory by means of these six push switches. Then, when one of the push switches is pressed during traveling, the destination stored in memory is displayed on the display screen 25a together with the map. Further, the radio frequency of the radio can be stored in advance by the six push switches of the fourth operation member 34, and the receiving station can be selected by pushing any of the push switches during the operation of the tuner.

In the area on the II side of the surface 21a of the operation panel 21, an operation member that is relatively infrequently used is provided. A pair of fifth operation members 35 are provided on the front surface 21a slightly to the right.
Is provided to select the frequency of the radio tuner and to seek a piece of music while playing a mini disc MD or the like. Furthermore, the surface 2 of the operation panel 21
A sixth operating member 36 and a seventh operating member 37 are provided in front of 1a. The four switches of the sixth operating member 36 are switched to the navigation device, the mini disk MD to the performance device, the tuner, and the F switch.
This is for switching reception between M and AM. The seventh operating member 37 has a switching function other than the above. The fifth operation member 35, the sixth operation member 36, and the seventh operation member 37 can be operated mainly by extending the thumb S with the left hand H holding the edge portion 21b, but mainly. It is arranged to be suitable for operation with the index finger of the left hand.

In the operating device 20 having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, if the left hand H is released from the steering wheel 12 and the left arm A is moved leftward as it is, the left hand H
Can naturally touch the operation panel 21. Further, the palm of the left hand H is applied to the edge portion 21b of the operation panel 21 and slid as it is, so that the first operation member 31, the third operation member 33, and the fourth operation member 34 can be operated by the thumb S. Become. Further, by lowering the left hand H along the support board 22, the second operation member 32 can be touched, and the driver M can search for the operation member without error even if the driver's line of sight is not directed to the operation device 20.

Particularly, the first operating member 31 and the second operating member 32, which need to be operated when the navigation device is operating, can be operated in a natural posture without error. Further, when using the navigation device to select a destination stored in memory or to select a station when the tuner is operating, slide the left hand H forward along the edge 21b. Then, the third operation member can be moved to the position of (a) and the fourth operation member 34 can be operated with the thumb S of the left hand, and the volume can be adjusted by sliding the left hand H along the edge 21b. You can be sure by searching for. In particular, since it is possible to reliably select the station and adjust the volume while the tuner is operating without removing the line of sight from the front of the driver, it is easier to operate than the conventional tuner or radio operation and it is possible to secure driving safety. Become. The operating device according to the present invention is not used only for operations related to various equipment of an automobile, but can be installed in other vehicles such as trains and train driver seats, ship driver seats, and aircraft cockpits. is there.

[0024]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the operator can naturally touch the operating device while sitting in the driver's seat or the like, and by moving the hand along the edge of the operation panel, The operation member to be operated can be searched for, and a reliable operation can be performed in a comfortable posture.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, for example, operating members that are frequently operated can be arranged along the edge portion, and operating members that are rarely used can be arranged in a region other than the edge portion. Even if the operation panel is provided with the operation members, it is easy to find and operate the operation members that are frequently used.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the arm is extended to touch the operation panel, the display screen naturally comes into the visual field by directing the line of sight in the direction of the arm. Therefore, the display screen can be easily viewed, and the operation while viewing the display screen can be performed in a comfortable posture.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an operating device and peripheral devices according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an operating state of the operating device,

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an arrangement of operation members on an operation panel.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view showing an example of operation of an operation member,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing in-vehicle equipment other than the operation device,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an operation unit of a conventional vehicle-mounted device,

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Driver's Seat 12 Steering Wheel 13 Dashboard 20 Operating Device 21 Operating Panel 21a Surface 21b Edge 22 Support Board 31 First Operating Member 32 Second Operating Member 33 Third Operating Member 34 Fourth Operating Member 35 Fifth Operation member 36 6th operation member 37 7th operation member M Driver A Left arm H Hand S Thumb

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Kiyosumi Fujiwara Nishigotanda 1-8-1 Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Alpine Electronics (72) Inventor Shuji Sunukai 1-5 Nishigotanda Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. Alpine Electronics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideki Endo 1-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Within Alpine Electronics (72) Inventor Satoru Sami 1-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Alpine Electronics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kumiko Ishikawa 1-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Alpine Electronics (72) Inventor Takashi Oikawa 1-1-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Alpine Within the corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An operation panel extending from the front of the seat toward the front is provided, and the operation panel is provided with an edge portion facing a palm of a person seated in the seat when the arm is moved laterally. In addition, the operating device is provided with an operating member arranged along the edge portion, the operating device for a vehicle-mounted device. 2. A position separated from the edge on the operation panel,
The operating device for a vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, further comprising another operating member. 3. The display screen operated by an operation member on the operation panel is provided in front of the seat, and the display screen is oriented in the same direction as the extending direction of the edge portion of the operation panel. Operation device for in-vehicle equipment.