Touch detection devices and vehicles

Abstract

The objective of this invention is to improve the usability of in-vehicle displays. A touch detection device includes a control unit that detects touches on the screen of an in-vehicle display with a touch panel. If a portion of the screen, i.e., a first area, is not touched, the control unit disables operations performed by touching other areas of the screen, i.e., a second area. Alternatively, the control unit can disable operations performed by touching the screen of the in-vehicle display without touching the screen of another display with a touch panel located closer to the passenger seat than the in-vehicle display. Alternatively, the control unit can disable operations performed by touching the screen without pressing a physical button located on the center console or closer to the passenger seat than the center console.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a display device for a vehicle that determines whether a driver is operating the display and, if so, directs the display toward the driver's side. The determination of whether the person operating the display is the driver is made by determining whether a front passenger is present or whether the steering wheel switch has been operated.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-044516 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In existing technologies, drivers can operate the display while the vehicle is in motion. Other technologies exist that restrict navigation functions, such as destination setting, by preventing drivers from operating the display while the vehicle is in motion. However, this is inconvenient because it prevents not only the driver but also the front passenger from operating the display.

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to improve the usability of in-vehicle displays.

[0006] The touch detection device of this invention is a touch detection device for detecting touches on the screen of an in-vehicle display with a touch panel, and it includes a control unit. The control unit disables operations performed by touching other areas of the screen, i.e., a second area, if a first area of ​​the screen is not touched. Alternatively, the control unit can disable operations performed by touching the screen of the in-vehicle display if the screen of another display with a touch panel located closer to the passenger seat than the in-vehicle display is not touched. Alternatively, the control unit can disable operations performed by touching the screen if a physical button located on the center console or closer to the passenger seat than the center console is pressed.

[0007] Invention Effects

[0008] According to the present invention, the usability of in-vehicle displays 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 the cases where driver operations are disabled and passenger operations are enabled in embodiments of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3This is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the touch detection logic involved in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0012] 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.

[0013] refer to Figure 1 The structure of the vehicle 10 involved in this embodiment will be described.

[0014] Vehicle 10 is equipped with a touch detection device 20. The touch detection device 20 is connected to the central display 11. The touch detection device 20 may be further connected to the passenger display 12. The touch detection device 20 may be further connected to a physical button 13 located on the center console of vehicle 10 or closer to the front passenger seat than the center console.

[0015] The central display 11 is an in-vehicle display with a touch panel located on the center console of the vehicle 10. The central display 11 may be, for example, an LCD or an OLED display. "LCD" is an abbreviation for liquid crystal display. "EL" is an abbreviation for electro luminescent. The central display 11 may include audio display. The central display 11 can be replaced by an in-vehicle display with a touch panel located at a position accessible from both the driver's and passenger's seats, other than the center console of the vehicle 10.

[0016] The passenger display 12 is another display with a touch panel located closer to the front passenger seat than the central display 11 of the vehicle 10. The passenger display 12 is, for example, an LCD or an OLED display.

[0017] As an interface for connecting to the central display 11, passenger display 12, and physical buttons 13, it can use interfaces compatible with standards such as USB, HDMI, or Bluetooth. "USB" is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. "HDMI" is an abbreviation for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. The touch detection device 20 can connect to the central display 11, passenger display 12, and physical buttons 13 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. "CAN" is an abbreviation for Controller Area Network. As a variation, the touch detection device 20 can integrate the central display 11, passenger display 12, and physical buttons 13.

[0018] 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 driver, but it can also be driven autonomously at any level. The level of automation can be, for example, any one of levels 1 to 4 in the SAE classification. "SAE" is an abbreviation for Society of Automotive Engineers. Vehicle 10 can also be a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) dedicated vehicle. "MaaS" is an abbreviation for Mobility as a Service.

[0019] The touch detection device 20 is a system for a specific purpose, such as a microcomputer, ECU, or PLC, or a vehicle navigation system, that includes an onboard computer. "ECU" is an abbreviation for electronic control unit. "PLC" is an abbreviation for programmable logic controller. As a variation, the touch detection device 20 can be located away from the vehicle 10 instead of being installed in the vehicle 10, as long as it can communicate with the central display 11, passenger display 12, and physical buttons 13 via a network such as a mobile communication network or the Internet. In such variations, the touch detection 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.

[0020] The touch detection device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0021] 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 touch detection device 20 while performing processing related to the operation of the touch detection device 20.

[0022] 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 the operation of the touch detection device 20 and information obtained through the operation of the touch detection device 20 are stored in the storage unit 22.

[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 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 used in the operation of the touch detection device 20 and transmits information obtained through the operation of the touch detection device 20.

[0024] The function of the touch detection 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 touch detection device 20 is implemented through software. The program causes the computer to perform the actions of the touch detection device 20, thus enabling the computer to function as the touch detection device 20. In other words, the computer functions as the touch detection device 20 by executing the actions of the touch detection 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 removable media or programs transferred from a server in main storage. Furthermore, the computer uses its processor to read the program stored in main storage and executes the processing according to the read program. A computer can directly read a program from a removable medium and execute the processing according to the program. The computer can sequentially execute the processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred from a server to the computer. A program is information used for processing by an electronic computer and includes information equivalent to a program. For example, data that, while not direct instructions to the computer, has the nature of specifying the computer's processing is equivalent to "complying with the content of the program."

[0026] Some or all of the functions of the touch detection 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 touch detection device 20 can be implemented by hardware.

[0027] Apart from Figure 1 In addition, also refer to Figure 2 The operation of the touch detection 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 detects touches on the screen of the central display 11 via the touch panel of the central display 11. If a portion of the screen, namely the first area 31, is not touched, the control unit 21 disables any operation performed by touching other areas of the screen, namely the second area 32. On the other hand, if the first area 31 is touched, the control unit 21 enables any operation performed by touching the second area 32.

[0029] The first region 31 is preferably an area that is not easily or inaccessible from the driver, who is the occupant of the driver's seat. In this embodiment, the first region 31 is the end region on the side where the passenger seat is located, which is the left and right ends of the screen. In the case that the vehicle 10 is a right-hand drive model, i.e., when the driver's seat is on the right side, the first region 31 is as follows: Figure 2 The left-hand area of ​​the image shown.

[0030] Preferably, a marking that is easy for a passenger in the front passenger seat to understand is provided in the first area 31. In this embodiment, a circular icon 33 is provided in the first area 31.

[0031] Passengers have their hands free, so they can perform actions such as tapping, long-pressing, dragging, swiping, pinching / expanding, multi-touch swiping, multi-touch, or double-tapping with their right hand while touching icon 33 with their left. On the other hand, drivers cannot reach icon 33 or must hold the steering wheel with at least one hand, making it difficult to touch icon 33 while operating the device. In this embodiment, as... Figure 2 As shown at the top, the second area 32 becomes inoperable when icon 33 is not touched, therefore the driver cannot operate the central display 11 at least while the vehicle 10 is in motion. On the other hand, as Figure 2 As shown in the lower part, the second area 32 becomes operable when icon 33 is touched, thus enabling passengers to operate the central display 11. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the usability of the in-vehicle display is improved.

[0032] As a variation, the control unit 21 can disable operations performed by touching the screen of the central display 11 without touching the screen of the passenger display 12. In this variation, when the screen of the passenger display 12 is touched, the control unit 21 enables operations performed by touching the screen of the central display 11. For example, an icon 33 may be arranged on the screen of the passenger display 12. In this example, when the icon 33 is not touched, the screen of the central display 11 becomes inoperable, so the driver cannot operate the central display 11, at least while the vehicle 10 is in motion. On the other hand, when the icon 33 is touched, the screen of the central display 11 can be operated, so the passenger can operate the central display 11. Therefore, according to this example, the usability of the in-vehicle display is improved.

[0033] As another variation, the control unit 21 can disable operations performed by touching the screen of the central display 11 when the physical button 13 is not pressed. In this variation, when the physical button 13 is pressed, the control unit 21 enables operations performed by touching the screen of the central display 11. For example, a mark identical to icon 33 can be affixed to the surface of the physical button 13. In this variation, when the physical button 13 is not pressed, the screen of the central display 11 becomes inoperable, so the driver cannot operate the central display 11, at least while the vehicle 10 is in motion. On the other hand, when the physical button 13 is pressed, the screen of the central display 11 becomes operable, so passengers can operate the central display 11. Therefore, according to this example, the usability of the in-vehicle display is improved.

[0034] refer to Figure 3 Specific examples of the touch detection logic involved in this embodiment will be described.

[0035] When an area other than icon 33 is touched on the screen of the central display 11, the control unit 21 of the touch detection device 20 does not notify the host 14, such as the vehicle navigation system, of a touch signal (S1). On the other hand, when icon 33 is touched on the screen, the control unit 21 notifies the host 14 of a touch signal (S2). Then, triggered by detecting a long press touch on icon 33, the control unit 21 notifies the host 14 of the touch signal of icon 33 as the first touch signal, and notifies the host 14 of the touch signals of the second and subsequent touch signals of the area other than icon 33 (S3). When the long press touch on icon 33 is released, the control unit 21 turns off all notifications of touch signals of the area other than icon 33 to the host 14 (S4). When icon 33 is touched again, even if the touch signal of the area other than icon 33 still exists, the control unit 21 only notifies the host 14 of the touch signal of icon 33, and does not notify the host 14 of the touch signals of the area other than icon 33 (S5). Then, the control unit 21 is triggered by detecting a long press touch on icon 33 again, counts the touch signal of icon 33 as the touch signal of the first point again, and notifies the host 14 of the touch signal, while notifying the host 14 of the touch signals of the second point and beyond in the area other than icon 33 (S3).

[0036] As described above, in this embodiment, other areas on the in-vehicle display screen cannot be operated unless the area designated for multimedia displays, etc., is touched. Both hands are required for operation, therefore the driver cannot operate the system; only the front passenger can operate it, for example, by selecting a destination candidate via the in-vehicle navigation system. Thus, both safety and usability are improved. According to this embodiment, to limit the driver's operation, it is not necessary to use additional equipment such as cameras or sensors to determine the operator's seating position, thereby avoiding system complexity and increased costs.

[0037] 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.

[0038] Symbol Explanation

[0039] 10-Vehicle, 11-Central display, 12-Passenger display, 13-Physical button, 14-Main unit, 20-Touch detection device, 21-Control unit, 22-Storage unit, 23-Communication unit, 31-Area 1, 32-Area 2, 33-Icons.

Claims

1. A touch detection device for detecting touches on the screen of an in-vehicle display with a touch panel, characterized in that, have: The control unit disables operations performed by touching other areas of the screen, namely the second area, when a portion of the screen, namely the first area, is not touched.

2. The touch detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first region is the end region on the side where the passenger seat is located, between the left and right ends of the image.

3. A touch detection device for detecting touches on the screen of an in-vehicle display with a touch panel, characterized in that, have: The control unit disables operations performed by touching the screen of the vehicle display if the screen of another display with a touch panel located closer to the passenger seat than the vehicle display is not touched.

4. A touch detection device for detecting touch on the screen of an in-vehicle display with a touch panel, characterized in that, have: The control unit disables operations performed by touching the screen unless a physical button located on the center console or closer to the passenger seat is pressed.

5. A vehicle, characterized in that, The device comprises the touch detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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