Control device and vehicle

Abstract

The present application provides a control device and a vehicle. The present application aims to reduce the number of operations of a user in order to reach a function of a lower layer when operating a vehicle-mounted system and to improve convenience. A control device that displays a menu of a hierarchical structure on a display with a touch screen mounted on a vehicle includes a control section that performs the following processes: when a first touch operation that selects an item included in a menu of a first layer displayed on the display is detected, a menu of a second layer that is a lower layer of the first layer corresponding to the item selected by the first touch operation is displayed on the display; when a second touch operation that selects an item included in the menu of the second layer is detected, a function corresponding to the item selected by the second touch operation is executed; and when a slide operation associated with the function is detected, the function is executed even if the first touch operation and the second touch operation are not detected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a control device and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a remote control with a shortcut button and a voice input button. If the user presses the shortcut button, a shortcut instruction is sent to a specific menu item engraved on the button. If the user presses the voice input button and says "TV" into the microphone in that state, voice recognition processing is performed, and the shortcut instruction "Move to TV item" is sent.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-027009 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In recent years, in-car navigation systems have incorporated a variety of functions. With the increase in functions, the user interface has become more multi-layered, requiring more user operations to access lower-level functions, thus reducing convenience. While it's possible to consider adding shortcut buttons or voice input buttons for quick guidance, as is currently the case, this presents challenges in terms of both implementation and cost due to the added physical switches. Using voice input buttons only adds one physical switch, but users need to remember the name of the item corresponding to the shortcut, leaving room for improvement in terms of convenience.

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to reduce the number of user operations required to access lower-level functions when operating an in-vehicle system, and to improve convenience.

[0006] The present invention relates to a control device that displays a hierarchical menu on a touchscreen display mounted in a vehicle. The control device includes a control unit that performs the following processing: upon detecting a first touch operation that selects an item from a first-level menu displayed on the display, displays a second-level menu corresponding to the item selected by the first touch operation on the display; upon detecting a second touch operation that selects an item from the second-level menu, executes a function corresponding to the item selected by the second touch operation; and upon detecting a swipe operation associated with the function, executes the function even if neither the first nor the second touch operation is detected.

[0007] Invention Effects

[0008] According to the present invention, the number of user operations required to access lower-level functions during the operation of the vehicle system is reduced, and convenience is improved. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates examples of touch and swipe operations according to embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures. In the figures, the same or corresponding parts are labeled with the same symbols. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts is appropriately omitted or simplified.

[0012] refer to Figure 1 The structure of the vehicle 10 involved in this embodiment will be described.

[0013] Vehicle 10 includes a control device 20. The control device 20 connects to various devices mounted on vehicle 10, such as a touchscreen display 11 and a positioning device 12. As interfaces for connecting to various devices, interfaces compatible with standards such as USB, HDMI, or Bluetooth can be used. "USB" is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. "HDMI" is an abbreviation for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. The control device 20 can also connect to various devices via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. "CAN" is an abbreviation for Controller Area Network. As a variation, the control device 20 may include one or more devices mounted on vehicle 10.

[0014] Vehicle 10 can be any type of automobile, such as a gasoline vehicle, diesel vehicle, hydrogen vehicle, HEV, PHEV, BEV, or FCEV. "HEV" is an abbreviation for hybrid electric vehicle. "PHEV" is an abbreviation for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. "BEV" is an abbreviation for battery electric vehicle. "FCEV" is an abbreviation for fuel cell electric vehicle. In this embodiment, vehicle 10 is driven by a user, but it can also be driven autonomously at any level. The level of automation can be, for example, any one of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE classification. "SAE" is an abbreviation for Society of Automotive Engineers. Vehicle 10 can also be a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) vehicle.

[0015] Display 11 may be, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. "LCD" is an abbreviation for liquid crystal display. "EL" is an abbreviation for electro luminescent. Display 11 may also be an audio display.

[0016] Positioner 12 is, for example, a GNSS receiver. "GNSS" is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System. GNSS includes, for example, GPS, QZSS, BDS, GLONASS, or Galileo. "GPS" is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System. "QZSS" is an abbreviation for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. QZSS satellites are called Quasi-Zenith Satellite Systems. "BDS" is an abbreviation for BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. "GLONASS" is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System.

[0017] The control device 20 is a system for a specific purpose, including an onboard computer such as a microcomputer or ECU, or an onboard navigation system. "ECU" is an abbreviation for electronic control unit. As a variation, the control device 20 can be located remotely from the vehicle 10, rather than being located within the vehicle 10, as long as it can communicate with various devices installed in the vehicle 10 via a network such as a mobile communication network or the Internet. In such variations, the control device 20 can be a general-purpose computer such as a PC, a server computer such as a cloud server, or a dedicated computer. "PC" is an abbreviation for personal computer.

[0018] The control device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0019] The control unit 21 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specifically designed for particular processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for Graphics Processing Unit. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for Field-Programmable Gate Array. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for Application-Specific Integrated Circuit. The control unit 21 controls the various parts of the control device 20 while performing processing related to the operation of the control device 20.

[0020] The storage unit 22 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, RAM, ROM, or flash memory. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read-only memory. The storage unit 22 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. Information for controlling the operation of the control device 20 and information obtained through the operation of the control device 20 are stored in the storage unit 22.

[0021] In this embodiment, operation information 24 is stored in the storage unit 22. Operation information 24 defines the swipe operation associated with a shortcut function. The user can register any function they wish to call as a shortcut function. The user can call up the shortcut function through a swipe operation associated with the registered shortcut function. Even for lower-level functions that require multiple steps of operation via touch alone, as long as they are registered as shortcut functions, they can be called and executed through a single-step swipe operation.

[0022] Operation information 24 may define only one type of swipe operation, but in this embodiment, it defines two or more swipe operations associated with different functions. These two or more swipe operations are distinguished based on the direction, position, or combination thereof of the swipe on the touchscreen. Figure 1 In the example shown, eight swipe operations are defined: "up / down," "down / up," "left / right," "right / left," "upper left," "lower left," "upper right," and "lower right," which are associated with functions F1 through F8, respectively. "Up / down," "down / up," "left / right," and "left right" represent swipe operations from top to bottom, from bottom to top, from left to right, and from right to left within the area of ​​the touchscreen excluding the four corners. "Upper left," "lower left," "upper right," and "lower right" represent swipe operations at each of the four corners of the touchscreen.

[0023] The communication unit 23 includes at least one communication circuit. This communication circuit is, for example, a circuit corresponding to mobile communication standards such as LTE, 4G, or 5G, or wireless LAN communication standards such as IEEE 802.11. "LTE" is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. "4G" is an abbreviation for 4th generation. "5G" is an abbreviation for 5th generation. "IEEE" is an abbreviation for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network. The communication unit 23 communicates with external devices. The communication unit 23 receives information for controlling the operation of the control device 20 and transmits information obtained through the operation of the control device 20.

[0024] The function of the control device 20 is implemented by the processor, which serves as the control unit 21, executing the program described in this embodiment. That is, the function of the control device 20 is implemented through software. The program causes the computer to perform actions of the control device 20, thereby enabling the computer to function as the control device 20. In other words, the computer functions as the control device 20 by executing actions of the control device 20 according to the program.

[0025] Programs can be stored on non-transitory computer-readable media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include flash memory, magnetic recording devices, optical discs, magneto-optical recording media, or ROM. Program circulation occurs, for example, through the sale, transfer, or lending of removable media containing the program. Programs can also be stored in the storage devices of a server and transferred from the server to other computers, thereby enabling program circulation. Programs can also be provided as program products. Computers may temporarily store programs stored on portable media or transferred from a server in main storage. The computer then reads the program stored in main storage using its processor and executes the processing according to the read program. A computer can directly read a program from a portable medium and execute the processing according to the program. A computer can sequentially execute the processing indicated by the received program each time a program is transferred from a server to the computer. A program includes information for computer-based processing and conforms to the program. For example, data that, while not direct instructions to the computer, has the nature of specifying the computer's processing is equivalent to "the content conforming to the program."

[0026] Some or all of the functions of the control device 20 can be implemented by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit that serves as the control unit 21. That is, some or all of the functions of the control device 20 can be implemented by hardware.

[0027] Apart from Figure 1 In addition, refer to Figure 2 The operation of the control device 20 according to this embodiment will be explained. The operation described below is equivalent to the control method according to this embodiment.

[0028] The control unit 21 displays a screen 13 on the display 11, enabling various operations such as touch and swipe operations. A hierarchical menu 14 is displayed on the screen 13. That is, the control unit 21 displays the hierarchical menu 14 on the display 11. When a first touch operation is detected, selecting an item from the first-level menu displayed on the display 11, the control unit 21 displays a second-level menu corresponding to the item selected by the first touch operation. When a second touch operation is detected, selecting an item from the second-level menu, the control unit 21 executes the function Fi corresponding to the item selected by the second touch operation. When a swipe operation associated with function Fi is detected, the control unit 21 executes function Fi even if neither the first nor the second touch operation is detected. In this embodiment, when the control unit 21 detects one of two or more swipe operations, it determines the function associated with the detected swipe operation based on the operation information 24 stored in the storage unit 22 and executes the determined function. Figure 1In the example shown, when the control unit 21 detects the assumed "upper right" among more than eight sliding operations, it executes the corresponding function F7.

[0029] The hierarchical menu 14 includes not only the first and second level menus, but also menus one level or more above the first level. Figure 2 In the example shown, the hierarchical menu 14 includes multiple layers of menus under the categories of "Navigation", "Music", "Telephone", "Vehicle Equipment" and "Settings".

[0030] As an example, when the control unit 21 detects a touch operation selecting "vehicle equipment", it displays a menu of the next lower level 1, including items S1 to S6, on the display 11. When a touch operation is detected where item S3 is selected from the items included in the menu of level 1, the control unit 21 displays a menu of the next lower level 2, including items S31 to S34, on the display 11. When a touch operation is detected where item S32 is selected from the items included in the menu of level 2, the control unit 21 displays a menu of the next lower level 3, including items S321 and S322, on the display 11. When a touch operation is detected where item S322 is selected from the items included in the menu of level 3, the control unit 21 executes the massage function of the vehicle seat, which is a function of the next lower level 4. When the vehicle seat massage function is registered as function F7, the control unit 21, upon detecting a "top right" swipe operation associated with function F7, executes the vehicle seat massage function, which is the lowest level (level 4), even if no multi-stage touch operation involving sequential selection of items from each menu level 1 to level 3 is detected. In this example, level 2 corresponds to level 1. Level 3 corresponds to level 2. The touch operation to select item S32 corresponds to the first touch operation. The touch operation to select item S322 corresponds to the second touch operation.

[0031] If the lowest-level functions of the categories "Navigation," "Music," "Telephone," and "Settings" are registered as shortcut functions in the same way as the functions of level 4 in the "Vehicle Equipment" category, they can be invoked and executed through a single swipe. For example, the lowest-level functions of "Navigation," such as the path guidance function that utilizes the positioning results obtained by the positioning device 12, could be registered as shortcut functions.

[0032] According to this embodiment, the number of user operations required to access lower-level functions in vehicle navigation and other in-vehicle systems is reduced, and convenience is improved.

[0033] As described above, in this embodiment, the occupants of the vehicle 10 can perform a sliding operation on the display 11. Upon performing a predefined sliding operation, the function of the lower-level layer associated with that operation is executed. Therefore, even if the occupants do not remember the names of the items corresponding to the hierarchical structure or shortcut indicators, they can immediately execute the desired function. According to this embodiment, since no additional physical buttons are required, the increased number of parts can avoid space constraints or cost increases. Since no shortcut icons need to be added to the screen 13, display space constraints can also be avoided.

[0034] This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, two or more block diagrams shown in the block diagrams may be merged, or a block diagram may be divided. Furthermore, modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of this invention.

[0035] Symbol Explanation

[0036] 10-Vehicle, 11-Display, 12-Positioning device, 13-Screen, 14-Menu, 20-Control device, 21-Control unit, 22-Storage unit, 23-Communication unit, 24-Operation information.

Claims

1. A control device that displays a hierarchical menu on a touchscreen display mounted in a vehicle, characterized in that it includes a control unit. The control unit performs the following processing: When a first touch operation is detected that selects an item included in the first layer menu displayed on the display, a second layer menu corresponding to the item selected by the first touch operation is displayed on the display; When a second touch operation is detected that selects an item included in the menu of the second layer, the function corresponding to the item selected by the second touch operation is executed; and When a swipe operation associated with the function is detected, the function is executed even if the first touch operation and the second touch operation are not detected.

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also has: The storage unit stores operation information for two or more sliding operations that are defined and associated with different functions. The control unit performs the following processing: When one of the two or more sliding operations is detected, the function associated with the detected sliding operation is determined based on the operation information stored in the storage unit, and the determined function is executed.

3. The control device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The two or more swipe operations are distinguished based on the direction, position, or combination thereof of the swipe on the touchscreen.

4. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hierarchical menu structure includes not only the menus of the first and second layers, but also the menus of the layer above the first layer.

5. A vehicle comprising the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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